


Anchors Away

by CynthiaK2014



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 16:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 69,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4027447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynthiaK2014/pseuds/CynthiaK2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is set in the ATF Universe but not the character pairings from the Matchmaker story line.  Some old fairy tales get retold as adult play stories.  Some of the chapters were the result of a challenge in a group that disbanded.  I'll leave up those designations.  Mostly written in 2003-4 under my pseudonym Athea Holmes.  Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Reed Challenge 2003: The characters must be in costume.  
Date: 16 November 2003  
********* Chris ********* 

It was almost six and the office was empty of life. The hum of the fluorescent lights was the only noise left since the others had headed out. I rubbed my eyes and thought about an ice cold beer sliding down my throat. The first one would just evaporate inside me so I could really enjoy the chaser of a nice single malt whiskey with some name I didn’t know but one Ezra would tell me about.

I smiled then frowned. My lover had left early and his vague, ‘I’m picking something up’ could have meant one of several things. Information about the upcoming bust, another cup of that gourmet coffee he was addicted to or who knows what. Even though we had the Halloween party at the Travis’ tonight, we had planned dinner together before getting our costumes.

My eyes focused on the closed blinds on all of my glass windows. When had that happened? They were open at lunch, I thought with another frown. Had Buck used my office while I was up on fifth floor debriefing Zerretti from Team Two? The sound of boots coming down the long hall made me sit up straight and wonder who was coming here so late in the day.

Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed to finish off the paperwork. Then again, maybe it was Ezra back with his ‘something’. The boot steps came closer and I tightened even more with sudden unnamed tension. But a soft Southern voice announced his presence before I could do something silly, like slide my gun out of the top desk drawer.

“It’s me, Chris.”

“Ezra, what did . . .” my voice died in my throat.

It wasn’t my Ezra but his great-grandfather standing in the doorway. The dark hair was brushed back under the wide brimmed hat. The dark gray of the Confederate officer’s uniform set off his trim body. The pants were tucked into knee high black leather boots that made my breath grow short. His sword hung rakishly from his belt on his right side and his side arm was holstered on his left.

“Does it meet with your approval, Sirrah?” His accent deepened and flowed over me like golden liquid honey.

I couldn’t have said a word if I’d tried. He walked in and shut the door behind him. It was only then I saw he was carrying something in a garment bag over his shoulder.

“If ya’ll like mine, I can guarantee you’re going to like yours.” He laid it down on my desk and began to unzip it. “And best of all, I’m going to help you get dressed. You might have a little problem . . .” he licked his lips and I almost moaned, “gettin’ everythin’ in its . . . proper place.”

“You . . .” I swallowed hard. “You look wonderful, Ezra. Am I going as a Union officer?”

“Thank ya, kind sir. But no, you are going as . . .” his tooth flashed at me and the twinkle in those big beautiful green eyes should have warned me right there. With a dramatic push, he pulled forth something in flowing black. “I thought a pirate would be most appropriate for the man who stole my heart.”

A pirate? Now that had possibilities, I thought with a leering grin at him. He chuckled and shook his finger at me. “Now, now, Captain Larabee, we’ve got to see if it fits before ya’ll go around acting all devil-may-care and such. Shimmy out of that very nice blue suit and I’ll give yah a fitting.”

That sounded wonderful and I shot out of my chair to make sure the outside window blinds were closed, too. Now I knew why the inner ones were down and closed. Ezra must have asked Buck to do that earlier. When I turned back to the desk, the outer door was shut and locked. This was going to be one of ‘those’ fittings. I took much more notice of what I was wearing these days since Ezra had introduced me to just how exacting the measurements had to be.

My pants were already tight and it didn’t help when my oh-so-helpful lover slid his arms around me and lifted his face. It had been eight long hours since our last kiss and I drank him in like the air I needed to breathe. A faint hint of chocolate mint told me he’d stopped off at the Starbucks across the street before coming on up. The waitresses there adored him and I’d just bet they’d eaten up his costume.

That made me thrust my tongue inside him a little more roughly than I’d meant to. He just moaned and let me take control for the moment. My hands ran up and down the wool jacket of his uniform, unused to finding such harsh material clad around my love. He was made for silks and satins and fine Egyptian cottons.

He pulled away a couple of inches. “I know, it’s quite authentic but rather scratchy. I can not imagine waging war in wool for four bloody years. Our ancestors were made of iron.” Then he thrust his hips into mine. “And speaking of iron, is that a gun in your pocket or are yah just real glad ta see me?” 

“Really glad to see you,” I told him with a leer and watched him break into laughter. He didn’t laugh enough these days and suddenly I wanted to strip that uniform off him and carry him home to the ranch. I didn’t want to share him with a house full of party goers. I wanted him all to myself.

And as if he knew what I was thinking, his smiled gentled and he began unbuttoning my shirt. “I know, sweetheart, I want to be alone with you, too. But we’ll have fun at the party and for the moment it’s just you and me and this big ol’ desk of yours.”

He pulled my shirttails out and then those clever fingers of his were unfastening my pants and pushing them down off my hips. “Why looky-here, you did have a weapon in there. I’d better defuse it before it goes off and hurts somebody.”

All I could do was groan when he dropped to his knees and began to swallow me whole. He’s got a cock-sucker’s mouth and a tongue that can’t be completely human. He had a way with it that felt like silk wrapping then spiraling down my flesh all the way to the root. His clever fingers had found my balls and were rolling them like a pair of dice. I swayed, unable to widen my stance because my feet were still tangled in my pants.

But I didn’t want to fall so I leaned forward to stiff-arm myself with the edge of my desk. Oh yeah, much better, I thought with the two brain cells left in my quickly melting brain. His head bobbed up and down while that tongue drove me right into heaven. I tensed all over everywhere and shot it all when he hummed around me. He swallowed my seed and gently mouthed my softening organ, knowing how tender I was then.

My arms were trembling a little and I felt him slither out from under me, those warm hands of his trailing up my legs to cup my buttocks. “That was tasty, my Captain but now I seem to have a weapon that needs discharging.”

I leaned further over the desk and relaxed. “Then I guess you better remind me who I’m going home with, Ez’. Give me something to remind me all evening.”

“What a good idea, my love. I just happen to have a little something with me to make sure you remember to whom you belong.” The loud snap of his leather ammo pouch made me shiver with anticipation. 

When Ezra went alpha, he turned me on something fierce. But right now, cool slick fingers were sliding into me and I clenched around them for an instant, always needing a moment to remember this was what I wanted, this was what I craved. After years of being heterosexual, I’d fallen into the Ezra-loving-camp without any looking back.

Three fingers were stretching me wide but it was when the fourth folded in that the burn I loved started. I had no one I could brag to about my lover although I’d come close one night when it was just Buck and me and a bottle of tequila. Ezra is short and compact but under those custom tailored suits, he’s hung like a bull. I hated to think I was turning into a size-queen but damn, I loved Ezra’s cock.

“Ready, love?” Soft lips nibbled at my ear.

“Yes, please, now.” I whispered back, wishing I could kiss him.

The warm blunt crown pressed against my opening, slowly but surely splitting me in two. He always stilled for a moment to let me catch my breath and relax a little. We’ve been lovers for two years and it still feels like the first time all over again. I’d walked funny for two days after the first time he took me but Buck kept asking me why I was smiling so much.

“More,” I demanded.

“Pushy, pushy bottom, sweetheart,” he teased me, hands on my hips and that giant cock of his sliding deep inside of me. This position was always the deepest and I loved remembering all the times he’d fucked me from behind. I didn’t have a piece of furniture at the ranch he hadn’t taken me over at least once. I have to say that over a hay bale in the barn with the rest of the seven off riding but due back at any time was still my favorite.

Although this desk was a close second, I could feel his cock pulsing inside of me and I wondered if I put my hand over my stomach muscles I’d feel the end of him pushing all the way through. He rested there for a moment and the scratchy wool of his uniform rubbed against my buttocks.

“You tickle, Ezra.” I said over my shoulder and he laughed.

“I hope you’re not allergic to wool, love.” He pulled out a bit then pushed back in. “You’re tighter than usual, Chris. I appreciate it. Damn, that feels good.”

“Yes, it does, love.” I flexed a little and felt him pull out further before thrusting a little harder back in. “I thought about bragging about you to Buck once. Oh god, it feels like you’re going to come out of my stomach.”

He chuckled. “Perhaps we should all take a communal shower some time?”

I grinned and pushed back a little to get him to take me harder. “JD’s eyes would probably fall right out of his head. Josiah would start praying and Nathan . . . oh-h-h, right there, Ezra.”

His hips snapped towards me and he went in even deeper if that was possible. I was on fire inside and out while he thrust again and again against my gland. If I hadn’t had such a good grip on the desk edge, my hips would be slamming against the hard oak by now.

“Nathan would want to measure it and ask me questions about girth.” Ezra said through clenched teeth. “Buck would just want to watch me sink it inside of you.”

“Oh god,” I was about ready to come again. “Vin would just smile and sit back to watch.”

He was really smoking now and I could feel his balls tighten up. I was about ready to explode and his little moan when he thrust in one last time then released his scalding seed deep inside of me made me burst against the desk. I finally leaned in onto my forearms and waited for Ezra to come back to me. His body warmed my back and his hands were slowly stroking my stomach with tender caresses.

Maybe I could say my funny walk was a pirate swagger, I thought with a grin. Ezra kissed between my shoulder blades and began the slow pullout that would leave me empty. I hated that moment but the wool was really beginning to itch. With a last pop, he pulled out but then I felt his lips giving me his final kiss in that most intimate place.

“You are a work of art, my Captain. But I brought a little something to help you stay in character this evening and keep my seed swimming inside of you.” The snap sounded again and a moment later I felt one of our toys slide in. It was the butt plug I’d once thought would split me in two but now it was an old friend.

His clever hands passed under my balls, lifting and separating them with the leather straps that would keep me from coming. Then he pulled me up and turned me around so he could fasten the leather cock ring around my deflated cock. But first he cleaned away the seed splashed there with his wicked tongue. I must have looked totally debauched leaning against the desk with my shirt hanging open and my pants down around my feet.

“That’s a very good look for you, Chris.” His gaze swept over me possessively. “Yes, the freshly fucked languor will attract every woman there.”

“But I’m going home with you, beloved.” I reached out and pulled him closer so I could kiss those beautiful lips. We feasted for a long moment before he chuckled and pushed my shirt all the way off. 

“Yes, you are but for now, we need to get you dressed. Use your shirt to clean the desk so the cleaners don’t immediately know what we’ve been doing.” He motioned to me while he circled to get my costume. I kicked off my shoes and swabbed the cooling semen from the wood, bending over with a groan while the plug massaged me. Within the hour, I knew I’d be hard and aching again. I wondered if he’d remembered to bring in my boots to go with the costume.

Ezra smiled knowingly at my moan. “You’ll need me soon, need me to take out that plug and slide back into you.” He wrapped the black silk shirt around me and fastened it at the waist, leaving my chest partially exposed and my nipples almost uncovered. 

His thumbs traced lazy circles around them until they’d peaked for him. “I’ll enjoy nibbling these tonight. Perhaps we’ll get out your nipple clamps so you can really let go.”

I flushed all over while the silk tormented my hard and aching nubs. “That . . . that sounds good, Ez’. I think maybe you should have been the pirate.”

His smile flashed at me while he pulled up the skin-tight black leather pants. “I thought about it but somehow,” he caressed my bound cock before sliding the pant’s fastener shut and stepping back. His head tilted and he added a bright green sash around my waist, the ends falling just to the left of my cock. “Somehow I knew you’d look debonair and quite dashing in it instead. Sit down so I can get your boots on.”

I sat down gingerly, pushing the plug deeper while my channel squeezed around it. I bit my lip at the renewed heat and almost missed him sliding on the first boot. They were thigh high and made of the softest leather I’d ever felt. I looked down into Ezra’s eyes, loving the sparkle there.

“New boots, love, I saw them and could not resist. I have a few other fantasies about this footwear but we’ll get to them eventually.” He slid the second one on and then rose to his feet and offered me a hand up.

Moving made me harden a little more but at last I could take him back in my arms and kiss him properly. He was always thinking and planning but he’d brought light and laughter back into my life when I thought they were lost forever. Holding him like this, I never wanted to let go. To heck with the party, I thought, let’s just go home so he could ravish me again.

He pulled away and cupped my cheeks with his hands. “We’ll stay no more than an hour and a half, my love. Then we’ll go home so I can take off this lovely costume piece by piece.”

“Yours is coming off first. I think I may be allergic to wool.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “Let’s get one just like it but made in silk and cotton. I have a fantasy or two about the Confederate officer and the Union spy.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he laughed out loud.

“Very well, sirrah, Ah shall talk to my tailor.” He knows what that accent does to me. “I may have a fantasy or two of my own. But come along, we don’t want to be late.”

He straightened his uniform while I hung my suit in the empty garment bag and zipped it up. Then he unlocked the door and took a good look around before motioning me on out. It always took me a few moments to adjust to walking with the plug in and it didn’t help when Ezra slid a possessive hand over the crease of my pants and pushed it in just a little bit more. 

But once we left the offices, he became the proper ATF agent. We passed two of the cleaning crew headed towards Team Seven’s offices. We exchanged an amused look after greeting them and entering the elevator. He pushed the button for the parking garage and the doors closed us in.

“Would now be a good time to tell you I had your costume duplicated in my size?” He asked me in that innocent voice that drives me mad. “Perhaps we can play ‘walk the plank’ later in our bedroom?”

I groaned silently and gave him one of my Larabee glares. He just smiled innocently and began to talk about swords and silken restraints. My life had gotten much richer since he’d decided to seduce me. It seemed like I had a permanent hard-on these days. I was going to go right out of my little mind by the time we finally got home.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

*******************


	2. Before the Night is Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris has been a bad boy but Ezra knows how to fix that.

********* Chris ********* 

I was about to go right out of my tiny little mind.

Ezra had been teasing me all evening with snippets of conversation in his Southern drawl.

The plug kept massaging me into steel and I was a little afraid my groin was bulging.

I’d had to dance with every woman in the room and twice with Mary Travis.

She’d copped a feel while we were waltzing and I’d almost stumbled in amazement.

The nerve of her, I thought uncharitably and hoped Ezra hadn’t seen it. Then again, I sipped on a glass of Owen’s scotch and leaned back against the wall, if he did see it, I could almost guarantee I’d be face down on our bed with silk binding me to the four posters while he teased me past all endurance.

“You want to tell me why you’re grinning like the Cheshire Cat and scaring all the nice people who know you.” Buck startled me and I almost dropped my glass. He was wearing his Navy dress whites and every woman in the room was lusting after him. “Nice move with Mary.”

“Damn, did Ezra see her?” I cast a quick look around but couldn’t spot him.

“Oh yeah, Chris, he saw her. He bristled all over for a minute then he got that ‘cat with a canary look’, you know the one I mean.” Buck smiled knowingly and winked.

If I’d been a woman, my panties would be wringing wet. As it was, I felt like adjusting myself in way-too-tight pants. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you guys aren’t coming out until Sunday. I should be done screaming and pleading by then.”

He barked out sudden laughter and shook all over with the force of his mirth. I tried on a glare but he saw right through it and kept on laughing. JD joined us then, splitting his glance between the two of us. He was dressed as the stereotypical computer nerd with taped glasses, a bow tie around his neck, slicked back hair and a pocket protector bristling with pens.

“What’s so funny, Buck?” He asked and I watched Buck get that tender look in his eye.

He had it almost as badly as I did, I thought with an inner smile, trying to keep the glare on my face. My eye was caught by Nathan dressed as a doctor dancing with his wife Rain dressed as a harem girl. That led to a flashback of one of my very favorite memories of Ezra dressed as a pleasure slave for the bust of a Middle Eastern potentate dealing in illegal arms.

He’d kept the costume complete with veil and every once in a while we’d play the Pasha and the concubine. Thinking about that wasn’t helping my problem and now JD was grinning at me, too. I’d missed Buck’s explanation but it must have been complete because JD’s eyes were bright with laughter. It was a good look for him and Buck must have thought so too because he’d gone sultry and his voice dropped even deeper.

“I think it’s time we depart, Mr. Larabee.” Ezra’s voice came from behind Buck and I straightened with an almost audible snap.

I was so owned by the green-eyed beauty gazing at me with loving promises in his eyes.

“That’s a real good idea, Ez’,” Buck smiled down at my lover. “JD needs his beauty sleep and I need to tuck him in.”

“TMI, Mr. Wilmington,” Ezra shook a finger at him. “Much too much information.” 

“Nothing you’re not already thinking, Ez’.” Buck grinned. “I’d like you to take it easy on ol’ Chris here. He’s not as young as he used to be.”

I tried to protest but Ezra silenced me with one heated glance. “I shall take very good care of Mr. Larabee. Do not come out to the ranch until after noon on Sunday.” Another sizzling look and I tightened all over. “I shall be . . . taking care of him for quite some time.”

Oh god, I was going to be rode hard and put away wet.

I could hardly wait.

We all four said our goodbyes to Evie and Owen, making our way out of the party with waves to the rest of the seven. Josiah looked like he was ready to leave, too but Vin was still dancing with Selma from the secretarial pool. The black robes of a Jesuit priest suited the gentle man with the craggy face while the tanned buckskins were a great look for my brother-in-arms. That was still a pairing that amazed me but they’d been together almost two years, too.

Ezra’s hand at the small of my back sent a tingle right to my groin. “I believe I’ll let you drive the Jaguar tonight, Mr. Larabee.” His voice caressed my full name while I tightened all over. “I think a little chastisement is in order.”

“Play nice, boys.” Buck said jovially and opened the door of his truck for JD.

“We always do, Mr. Wilmington.” Ezra’s sassy smile was flashed at our friends.

I accepted the keys from my lover and opened the passenger door first so he could get in. Then I gingerly got in the driver’s side, sitting on one hip so I didn’t arouse myself any more by pushing that damn plug in. We were two blocks away from the Travis’ when he put his hand on my thigh.

The muscles bunched and jumped in an almost Pavlovian response while my poor cock wept salty tears. “Ezra, Mary didn’t mean anything by it.”

“She most certainly did, Chris. And you let her.” He said mildly while my heart began to beat a little faster. “Touching while dancing is acceptable but her lurid grope of your privates was completely unacceptable.” His hand slid up a little farther and brushed feather light strokes across my aching cock. “I’m afraid I shall have to make sure that every square inch of skin she might have possibly touched is branded . . .” his voice dropped even further if that was possible, “mine.”

My hands tightened on the steering wheel while I bit my lip. “All of me belongs to you, Ezra. I never forget that.”

A soft kiss was brushed across my cheek. “And all of me belongs to you too, my dearest Chris. But I am still going to possess you completely tonight.” That Southern drawl caressed my ears while his hand slid up to tease my nipples. “I’m going to let you undress me first so the wool doesn’t hurt either of our skins. Then I’ll slowly . . .” he tweaked my right nipple and it sent a shock all the way down to my groin. “Slowly, I’ll peel you out of these lovely leather pants. Did I tell you I had it made especially for you?”

I grinned and risked a look over at his dreamy face. “Your tailor must think I’m a kept man, Ezra. What does this make, five or six costumes fitted exactly to my measurements?”

He smiled and slid his hand up to toy with my earlobe. I shivered all over, he knows what that does to me. “This one is the sixth and I believe it is a success.”

“Yes, it is, love.” Finally we were out of the town center and on the interstate where I could go faster. Another twenty-five minutes and we’d be home. After all the years of just going to an empty house, I had a home again. “Which one is your favorite?”

He chuckled and dropped his hand to the waist band of my pants, slowly pulling off the sash he’d wrapped around me. He trailed it over my chest, tickling my nipples again. “They all call to me of your beauty and spirit but I think Jungle Chris is my second favorite.”

I caught my breath when he unsnapped my pants and folded the edges open so the cool Fall air hit my groin with the force of a great wind. “Yeah . . . oh yeah, that’s one of my favorites, too. But if it’s second, which one is first?”

The tips of his fingers brushed through the wiry curls of my groin. “I believe I enjoy being the Pasha buying a new concubine for his harem. There’s something about you standing naked on the auction block with only a jewel in your navel, your hands tied with silk behind you and the steel bar keeping your legs apart. I love inspecting you with my fingers and tongue then whisking you away to my desert tent and dressing you in those low slung belly-dancer’s see through pants. That makes me need to possess you from the tips of your hair to the end of your toes.”

My hands were getting sweaty while I thought about that first play. I’d felt so vulnerable with the steel bar keeping my feet almost two feet apart. My hands tied behind me increased my feeling of helplessness but once Ezra started touching me, I soon forgot anything but him. By the time he told my imaginary slave owner he’d buy me, I was hard with need and aching for him to brand me as his. He’d chained me to the hook in the ceiling we’d installed a few weeks before and left the bar in so I was spread wide for him. I came so hard, I blacked out that time.

But our last session of love-making had been even better. I hadn’t thought I could do it but I’d managed to dance for him with the little chimes on my fingers that kept my rhythm going. My veils had fluttered around me and he’d practically tackled me onto the floor, slicking his fingers and getting me ready with almost feverish haste. The harem pants had no crotch so I was achingly open for him when he flipped me over onto all fours and thrust inside of me without any of his usual care.

He’d burned all the way in and I’d almost come at the first thrust. It had felt like a red hot poker impaling me and I’d shouted my surprise and joy. He’d calmed down a little then, stroking my hips and kissing his way up my spine. I loved making him lose control like that but it didn’t happen very often. 

“But the black motorcycle leathers are good, too. I love seeing you wearing just the chaps with your pretty cock bound up just like this.” His fingers eased into my pants, caressing the root of my cock. “And the black vest with the golden chain of your nipple clamps gleaming against your skin. It just makes me want to tie you to your motorcycle and have my wicked way with you.”

Oh yeah, that was one indelible memory of a hot summer day working on the bike. Ezra had come out with the chaps, vest and the nipple clamps. He’d had that ‘I’m going to make you come so hard, you sneeze semen’ look about him and he’d stripped me bare then re-dressed me in the tight costume. The nipple clamps always hurt a little when they first go on but he’d kissed and licked my nubs to diamond hardness before clipping them and pulling gently on the chain.

I came back to the here and now when he finally got my cock out of my pants. His cool fingers wrapped around me while my eyes watered with the need to come. But the leather cock ring and ball harness kept me from shooting. I almost missed the turn off for Highway 6 but finally we were on the homestretch. Another fifteen minutes and I was hoping to finally come.

“Almost home, love,” his accent smoothed my senses while his fingers gripped me tightly. “Then I’m going to get out first and come around to your door. Once I open it, you’re going to swing your legs out and then I’m going to swallow you whole and unsnap the cock ring so you can feed me a little protein.”

I was almost whimpering, I needed to come so badly. But his hot breath in my ear made me shiver again. “Need you, Ezra, I need you so much.”

“I need you too, Chris. Never doubt the love and joy you brought into my life. I’ve loved you for so long.” The note of longing in his voice matched mine and sent me back to the memory of that day in the barn with my motorcycle. 

Flashback -

I was sweating all over while his fingers, slicked with the motor grease I’d been using to oil the cycle, teased my hole. His voice whispered all the things he was going to do with me once I was stretched wide for him. My legs straddled the leather seat and I had to stand on my toes to give him room to work. He told me he was going to ride me until I begged to come and I heard his need for me in every word.

He’d folded in the fourth finger so I was wide-open and begging him to come inside and put out the fire. Then he swung his leg over the seat and told me I had to keep the bike upright while he rode me hard. I was shaking all over when his cock breached me slowly and I cried out in a mix of pleasure and pain. He slid deep, his arms around me and his hands playing with my nipples. 

The leather feels so good against my chest, he whispered in my ear while he pulled on the chain. My hands were holding onto the handlebar grips with a death grip while I struggled to keep my balance. My cock was being strangled by the leather hood he’d fastened around it and my balls were tight and hard. Holding onto my hips, he’d begun the rapid in-and-out thrusts that targeted my prostate with every ‘in’ and left me empty with every ‘out’.

We couldn’t last and he shot deep inside of me the exact moment he un-hooded my cock. I exploded all over the bike and barely managed to keep us upright. My legs were like noodles and my arms were so relaxed that I think he was the only reason we didn’t just fall right off the leather seat. I couldn’t even ride the damn thing without getting hard now and I blamed Ezra for that every time he so-innocently asked me if we couldn’t go for a ride.

\- End Flashback

Finally, I saw the porch light the timer had turned on. I stopped the car with a screech and turned a pleading look on my grinning lover. But he was already unbuckled and out of the car door, coming around to my side and opening me up in more ways than one. I arthritically got my legs out and he was as good as his word, swallowing me with a single inhalation and unsnapping the cock ring.

I shouted and came just like that, not even caring that the night was cool and a brisk breeze was sailing through the car. It would have taken ice to un-relax me at that point. I pulsed out my seed in seemingly never-ending squirts while he hummed and drank me down like his favorite whiskey. I wanted to come forever but he was pushing in that plug and I was starting to tingle again. It would be a while before I could get hard but that would make his chastisement all the sweeter.

“Dear one, that’s an extremely good look on you.” He said with satisfaction, pulling my pants off over the boots. “Sit up for me, love so I can get your shirt off. I fancy seeing you in just these sinfully decadent boots.”

That sounded good to me and I struggled to sit up, using the steering wheel to help me. But he saw my dilemma and used his strong grip to get me up the rest of the way. The air was chilly but it felt good on my overheated skin. Once my shirt was off, he stepped back to look at me and his eyes went hooded.

Oh yeah, I was so getting taken tonight.

“Inside, Chris,” he stroked his crotch and I wanted to knock his hand away so I could do that instead. “You need to undress me.”

So, I moved away from the Jag and strutted into the house. He was right, the boots were soft as butter and they smelled like sex. I heard the car door slams and then he was right behind me, his hands caressing my buttocks and his voice telling me how beautiful I looked wearing only the black leather boots. “Maybe I’ll let you keep them on, Chris. They’d feel good against my skin while I’m sliding in and out of your tempting body.”

I tightened all over and barely made it through the front door before my hands were at his waist. He laughed and let me strip him of the sword and gun belt while he was shutting and locking the door behind us. I laid them carefully aside because knowing Ezra, they were museum quality and worth a fortune. But the uniform could be fixed and I impatiently unbuttoned every button I could find. 

He threw his hat over onto the coat rack then began to run his hands over my chest, pinching my nipples into peaking for him again. Finally his jacket came off so I could peel him out of the fine linen shirt underneath. His chest with the curling chestnut hairs was revealed and I took a moment to kiss each of his nipples while my hands kept on unwrapping him.

Kneeling, I helped him out of the polished leather boots so I could slide his pants off those sturdy legs. His cock strained against the white silk long underwear he’d worn to protect his skin from the wool and I slowly peeled them down and let him spring free. Licking my lips, I leaned in for a taste of salty-Ezra. I still couldn’t deep throat him like he could me but I kept trying. Nibbling on the flared crown, I bathed the long slit with my tongue and tasted a salty tear.

“Such a good pirate,” he crooned and slid his hands through my hair. “That’s it, love, bathe him well and he’ll give you nothing but pleasure in our bed.” 

I hummed agreement and took in another couple of inches. But he was too big and too thick for me to get anymore in my mouth. I shivered a little remembering how it felt stretching me. I was suddenly a wanton slut and I wanted to be face down with him buried so deep he would come out my throat.

So I pulled away and stood up, hugging him close and sharing his taste with him. His arms held me just as tightly while his cock slid under mine and between my legs. We both groaned and pulled apart. It wasn’t enough and we quickly left the foyer to climb the stairs to our room. When Ezra moved in, I’d bought a new bed for us. The king-size four poster gave us more room to play and tonight was no exception.

He let me keep on the boots but he positioned me at the foot of the bed, tying my arms to each of the pillars but leaving a little slack so it wasn’t too tight. But then he gagged me with the green sash from my costume and my cock decided to get interested. But then he went over to the play chest and pulled forth two of our toys while I groaned pitifully. Ezra grinned and came over, moving my legs apart and fastening the bar between them.

I wasn’t the only one who’d been turned on by that slave auction play. His hands stroked down my back, over my taut buttocks and down my legs to the tops of the boots. “Yes, I knew they’d feel like this on my skin. And now for another little enhancement.”

He circled me and knelt on the end of the mattress, homing in on my nipples and kissing them gently. But I craved more so I moaned and swayed between the thick oak posts. He chuckled and bit them both before clipping the clamps onto them. Only Ezra could get me this hard, this fast, I told myself while panting to catch my breath.

“Yes, Captain Larabee, you’re not such a fearsome pirate now, are you?” He smiled and moved off the bed to get the bottle of oil/lotion we kept by the bed. Then he disappeared behind me, plucking the plug out and plunging his slick fingers in. I was already stretched but he still took a few moments to play with my hole, folding in all four fingers while I writhed in my silken ties.

“You look so beautiful like this,” he calmly edged his thumb into my hole and I shook hard, wondering if this was the time he’d fist me. “Not yet, love, I’m not sure of my way with that caress and neither are you.”

I whined through the gag, wanting and yet not wanting it. He kissed the top of my spine and pulled out all his fingers. But then his cock was sliding in and sliding in and sliding all the way to my heart. I panted some more and wondered if my stretched legs gave him better access and really let him go deeper. His hands stroked down my side then around in front of me so he could play with my cock.

“So responsive, my love, you’re so open and accepting of everything I do.” His kiss came again a little further down my spine and I wiggled at the love in his voice. “Others fled from me in terror once they saw my shaft but you . . .” he licked my spine and started rocking his hips into me, moving his cock over my prostate. “You welcomed me in even though you were a little afraid I’d split you in two.”

I hummed through the silk and remembered the first time when he gently and tenderly took my other virginity. I had been afraid but not enough to do anything but help him seduce me.

“You do remember, don’t you, Chris?” His rocking became thrusting and my cock rose to the occasion. “You were so sweet and you tried so hard not to show how much it hurt. But it doesn’t hurt now, does it, my love?”

I shook my head and whined again to get his hand back on my cock or nipples. He chuckled and licked my shoulder blade before biting down gently. He liked marking me as his and I wore each bite-bruise proudly. One day I hoped I’d get him to mark me some where so others could see it. But for now, I reveled in his possession and pushed back to get him to take me harder.

“So impatient, dear one, perhaps I should slow down?” He paused, his fingers pinching my nipples and I held still, biting my tongue and silently willing him to continue. And he did, picking up speed, his hands bracing my hips so he could hold me still and push in further. My eyes were watering again and when one hand gloved me, I tightened all over and came.

His hand milked me while he thrust twice more and flooded me with hot seed. It raced through my bowels and I relaxed all over, his arms holding me up. I felt a little sting and knew he’d bit me again on the other shoulder. He rarely softened much when he’d only come once so when he pulled out, I whimpered with the loss of his hot bulk.

“Sh-h, sweet heart, I’ve got you.” He undid my arms, never completely letting go. Then when I was leaning forward, he knelt and undid the bar so I could fall forward completely onto the bed. “Poor love, I’ve exhausted you. I’m going to go run a bath for us. Stay right here and I’ll come back to help you into the bathroom.”

He left me with a kiss on each cheek and a lick of my spent hole. I undid the gag and slowly rolled over. Yep, rode hard and now I get to play with wet-Ezra, my very favorite bath toy. It just didn’t get any better than this.


	3. The Monk and the Indian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josiah in a monk's habit gets Vin hotter than hot.

********* Josiah ********* 

I watched Vin doing some modern dance step that appeared to prove the boy had no bones in his body what-so-ever. I caught a glimpse of Buck and JD waving goodbye and I waved back. I wasn’t surprised to see the other two leaving. After seeing Chris in the pirate’s costume, I was pretty sure Ezra was going to take him home and molest him.

With half a chance, I was going to be doing the same shortly. Vin was escorting Selma off the floor and over to the refreshment table.

“Good evening, children, you look like you enjoyed that.” I spoke to them both but my eyes were on Vin’s glowing face.

“Vin’s an awesome dancer,” Selma grinned and hugged his arm.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Selma.” Vin smiled and poured a cup of punch for her before pouring one for himself. “But it’s gettin’ to the witching hour and I need ta be gettin’ home. I got a real long hard day tomorrow.”

“11:00, goodness is that the time?” She squeaked and ran off just like her costume’s name sake, Alice.

“A long hard day is it?” I leaned against the wall and lowered my voice.

“Ifn’ I’m real lucky, something long and hard is goin’ ta make my day and night and maybe the next day, too.” His eyes were such an innocent blue, belied by the mischievous grin creeping across his face.

“I think you’re very lucky but then so am I.” I practically whispered in his ear while moving away from the wall. “Let’s say our good nights so we can get you into bed for that restful sleep.”

“Not too restful, big guy,” he teased me. “I forgot to work out this afternoon so I need a little exercise, too.”

I thought about what kind of exercises we could do in the front seat of the Jeep, against the door and definitely in bed. Our thanks for the nice party were given to our host and his wife while I was still trying to decide whether to tease him a bit or just give him a blow job the moment we got home.

The Jeep takes forever to warm up so we were half-way home before there was any heated air blowing out the vents. But I was surely hot and bothered by the teasing little minx who caressed my thigh the entire way. The drive was longer now, significantly longer since we’d moved to the country. Vin would never feel completely at home in the city and I wanted him to have everything he needed so we’d bought the ranch next to Chris’ when the elderly owner died. We were taking our time remodeling the place.

Tall pines sheltered the long drive in pitch blackness but our lights showed us the way into the two and a half car garage we’d built this summer. Having the door open with just the touch of a button was a luxury neither of us had ever had before. We were still enjoying the novelty and when it closed behind us, I already had an armful of cuddly Vin. His kisses are sweeter than honey and twice as addicting. His hands combed through my salt and pepper hair, giving me a scalp massage while his tongue searched for buried treasure in my mouth.

“Love you, love you, love you,” he chanted in between trying to crawl into my habit with me. “Take me to bed and make me confess every bad thing I’ve ever done.”

I chuckled and slowly pulled away so I could turn off the engine before it gassed us to death. “Black habits turn you on, Vin?”

“Nope, just you lookin’ all butch and pious at the same time.” His eyes gleamed while he followed me out of the driver’s door and slid teasing hands up my wide sleeves. “Makes me think of making up things so you need to show me how to repent my wicked ways.”

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around him, running one hand through his long blond hair and playing with the eagle feather he’d braided into a small braid behind his right ear. “You couldn’t be wicked if you tried, sweetheart. Naughty, yes – evil, never. However, certain heathen manners might need to be . . . corrected.”

“Yeah,” he lit up like my very own Roman candle and pulled us to the back door. 

I disabled the security alarm and then re-locked the door behind us while he left me to do a fast reconnaissance of our house with his gun in hand. That was a habit I couldn’t break him of and after we caught a druggie trying to burgle the place, I agreed it was a good idea. I started disrobing on the way to the back of the house only to hear the sound of the hot tub jets starting to roar.

Oh god, wet-Vin is one of my instant hot buttons and I felt my cock start to swell. A trail of clothes led the way to the three-season porch where we’d installed the green hot tub. The floor was concrete and we’d put in a new flooring layer with radiator tubing, a new hot water heater and a thermostat for that room alone. Now that winter was coming, I was pretty sure we’d be able to turn the porch from three-season to four.

I automatically picked up each piece of costume for putting away. That was a habit I’d learned very young in the military. Luckily, Vin was a naturally neat person or we’d have been at odds from day one. But we hadn’t been, we’d . . . meshed from the moment we met and I spent a long time stealing glances before I realized that he was looking back. That was the best day of my life.

I shook myself free of the past and wondered if the hot tub was because Vin’s back was bothering him. He had bad days when he lost his natural grace and moved stiffly all over. I was working on that slowly but surely with hot oil massages and long soaks in the heated water of the tub. I love touching him, whether in our lovemaking or just therapeutically. I’d fallen so hard two years before and been so sure that such a fun-loving spirit could never return my emotion.

But he had and I was blessed by his love.

“You’re thinking too much, big guy.” Vin’s arms slipped around me and I realized I’d reached our bedroom still half-dressed in my cassock. “But black looks real good on ya, ‘Siah. It makes me want to make somethin’ up so’s you’d sit me on your lap and give me a penance for being so bad.”

I chuckled. “That makes me sound like a cross between a priest and Santa Claus, love.”

He grinned up at me. “The bad boys get the really good presents, Santa-baby.”

Shaking my head, I finally noticed that he was only wearing his moccasins. His body is lean and hard and covered in more scars than I can bear. His life had never been easy but now it was my turn to take care of him and I vowed daily to the spirit of his mother I’d love and protect her beloved son. My hands slid down his back while he purred against my chest. I didn’t want him to get cold so I stepped away from him. “Bad boys get into the hot tub while I finish getting undressed. Then we’ll see what kind of presents they get.”

He moved sinuously against me and my cock tried to escape the bulky robe keeping him from his home. “You got just the present I need, ‘Siah.”

I brushed a kiss on his cheek and turned him to the porch, swatting a gentle pat to his delectable cheek. “Put in some spearmint oil, please. My sinuses feel a little clogged.”

“Will do,” he disappeared and I finished undressing rather hurriedly in our bedroom. 

I did take the time to hang up my habit and his hunting leathers. I’d have my costume cleaned and returned to Father Ignatius at the monastery just outside of Denver. Vin’s leathers would go back into his closet until the next time he needed them. But soon I was striding back to the porch and the churning jets that promised relief to the little ache in my left knee.

Vin was sprawled on one side of the five foot square tub, right over his favorite jet. His hair was damp and already starting to curl in the steamy heat. He’d dropped all the blinds down and closed so we had perfect privacy for our soaking. And maybe something more, I hoped. Sliding in, I gentled a caress to his high-arched foot and he wiggled his toes for me. 

Touching him was a pleasure and privilege I would never take for granted. His flesh is so alive and his responses so addicting I took every chance I had to caress and touch him. My thumbs found a spot in his right ankle that felt congested and he sighed when I rubbed it loose.

“I love your hands, ‘Siah.” Those brilliant blue eyes gazed into mine. “It was the first thing about you I really noticed.”

“Ah, my first impression was the way you moved,” I told him, moving up his leg to his thigh. “I’d never seen anything so graceful and it was all I could do to close my mouth and say hello.”

He smiled and slid into my lap, wrapping his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck. He pressed a gentle kiss at the corner of my mouth. “I felt kind of breathless because you were so big and solid. Your eyes were kind and I thought ‘this guy could be a friend’. And you were.”

I moved a millimeter and tasted his lips, sampling the punch from the party but mostly finding his musky taste underneath. Then he opened beneath me and I surged inside his welcoming mouth. Our tongues wrapped together, sliding against each other and entwining rough to smooth and back again.

My cock was rock hard, dueling with his in the churning water. He moaned a little and I reached a hand under him to brush between his cheeks. His breath hitched and he wiggled harder, enticing me on. Dipping a finger just inside that tight ring of muscle, I felt him clench around me then relax. The man has great muscle control and he’d taken to male-male loving with enthusiasm.

It was almost six months before we’d done more than fellatio and frottage. Then one morning, he woke me up and told me he was ready for more. We were late to work that day after a long talk about barriers and the need to take it slow. I have to admit I was a bit distracted. Ezra noticed and made time to take me aside for a quiet chat. He is a good friend and absolutely right for the dark-cloud that was our boss.

With Ezra, Chris had found his matching half just like I’d found mine in Vin. I’d told our undercover agent from the moment I noticed he’d seduced our boss, I would back him 100%. He smiled that sweet smile of his and flushed a little. He asked me what had me so distracted. I told him and he nodded. Then he gave me the name of a lotion he’d found at the Asian Market on Ripley.

It had a numbing agent along with good lubricating powers. He said quite matter-of-factly that he’d use it when the time came Chris wanted to go further. I’d blinked and kept back my first reaction to that news. I could have sworn he and Chris were already a committed couple who’d possessed and been possessed. I told him I was a good listener then I took his advice and went shopping.

“Need ya, ‘Siah,” Vin was wiggling closer and nipping at my throat, a real hot spot for me. “In . . . in . . . in.”

Chuckling, I reached a long arm to the side of the tub and the bottle of oil we kept. It was thick and rich, not easily washed away by immersion in hot water. Now, I slid in two fingers while kissing him senseless. We made love so frequently, he was truly relaxed and a few moments later, I slid into the tightest place I’d ever been. He’d lit two candles on the side of the tub and in their light his eyes gleamed the deep blue of the high mountain spring on the property line between Chris’ ranch and ours.

“Love ya, ‘Siah,” he breathed my name with so much love I was reminded I was the luckiest man on earth.

“I love you too, Vin.” I rocked him slowly while he got his feet to either side of my hips so he could take over some of the movement. 

We made love slowly, taking the time to touch and taste and re-commit ourselves to each other. I didn’t need the monk’s habit to worship my personal deity, he was more of a nature spirit, one of the mountain oreads from ancient times. His soul was made for the wild places and my job was to give him a safe home from which he could roam free.

Finally he arched and came, calling out my name. I buried my head in his neck and managed one more thrust before flooding him with my climax. The jets still churned the water but we were both boneless and sated. His hands soothed caresses over my back while I held him safe and wondered how I’d find the energy to get up and go to bed.

“The party was fun,” he whispered in my ear. “And I liked seeing you looking like Friar Tuck in Robin Hood. But this is how I like you the best. No matter what you’re wearing, you’re always looking out for me.”

I chuckled tiredly and raised my head to look into his eyes. “I love you in leather, but I don’t have to wait for Halloween each year to see you in that.”

“Maybe I should get a set of black leathers like Chris’?” He teased me and my mind flashed to the one time I’d seen our boss clad in black leather from his head down to his toes. Astride a vintage Harley, he looked like sex personified and Ezra had looked extremely smug when he swung his leg over the seat and took hold of his lover.

But picturing Vin is supple black leather made my satiated cock stir. “Naughty, naughty Vin, that’s a very provocative picture. I had a Harley once, a thousand years ago.”

He beamed at me. “What year? Maybe we could find one and restore it?”

“1979,” I hadn’t thought of that time in eons. “It was the best year of my life until I had the falling out with my father and joined the marines. By the time I got back, he’d sold it and drunk the proceeds.”

Vin kissed me softly, bringing me back from the memories. I let him comfort me, knowing deep inside that he liked sheltering my spirit. I was such a lucky man. When we pulled apart, he brushed back the lock of hair that keeps falling on my forehead. “We’ll look around and see if we can find one to work on in our spare time. ‘Course, it can’t take away time from our lovin’.”

I chuckled and stood up, still attached to him. “We can do that, love. And we certainly won’t interrupt our loving time. It’s much too precious to me.” 

He bit his lip before letting me come out. It wasn’t safe leaving the tub unless we were separate. He turned off the jets while I blew out the candles. We rubbed each other dry with the towels we kept by the tub before walking hand in hand to our bedroom. Watching him stretch all over and pull back the duvet, I turned the dimmer switch to the candlelight setting. I wanted to see him when we made love this time.

The feather caught the light and I thought what a fitting symbol of his wild spirit it was. But he was beckoning me to join him and I slid between the flannel sheets, straight into his arms. I was a lucky man to have found the other half of my soul. In the back of my mind, I wondered if the time was coming when we’d choose to leave the dangerous work in order to preserve our love.

If so, it would be together and that was fine with me.

****************************


	4. Beginnings, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While sitting vigil, Chris remembers how they first got together.

********* Chris ********* 

I sat by the side of the hospital bed and watched my lover breath. Breathing was good, waking up would be better, I thought with a sigh. This was the third such vigil I’d sat by his side since we became lovers and it wasn’t getting any easier. I’m forty years old and he’s thirty-six. I will be damned if I lose a second family, I thought fiercely.

“He’s going to be fine, Chris.” Buck came in and touched Ezra’s foot for luck.

“Yes, he will . . . this time.” I rubbed my eyes and stretched. “I’m thinking of quitting the ATF and taking up horse breeding. You want to join Vin and me?”

He grinned. “You been thinking about this for a while?”

“Yeah, since the last time I was here, watching Ezra heal from yet another close call.” I touched his hand and thought about how much I didn’t ever want to do this again. “He could take his pick of a dozen jobs. Nathan wants to work full-time at the Veteran’s Clinic. JD can name his own price at that software company who’s always bugging him. You could join with us.”

“What would Josiah do?” Buck asked me, already half-convinced.

“I think I’d accept the professorship at the University of Colorado that Dean White has been dangling in front of me for the last two years.” Josiah’s voice came from the doorway. “I’ve been expecting this for some time now.”

“Chris,” the tiny whisper brought me back to Ezra. “Stop . . . shouting . . . I’ve got a . . . headache.”

I brushed his hair back from the bruise on his forehead. Then I bent down to whisper in his ear. “Welcome back, my love, don’t let’s do this again.”

His chuckle was a mere breath of sound near my ear and I smiled when he spoke. “Quite . . . right, love . . . time . . . to retire.”

“All right,” I sat back and pushed the buzzer for the nurse. It would take some planning but before the month was out, so would we be. I wasn’t taking any more chances. After all, the biggest chance I’d ever taken had brought me Ezra. Watching him being poked and prodded, I thought about the beginning of this odd love affair.

*** Flashback -

“Mr. Larabee, you have worked quite long enough. Even Josiah is ready to quit and he is usually the last one out the door.” Ezra’s voice broke through the mental haze I was enveloped in. “If you don’t come now, I’m going have to kiss you right through your desk.”

“What?” I looked up sure I couldn’t have heard that.

That new smile appeared, the one I’d only seen a couple of times just lately. “Ah, something did get through that attractive but thick skull of yours.”

Attractive? I blinked at him and surreptitiously pinched my arm. Nope, I was awake. “You think I’m . . . attractive?”

“Of course, I do,” he said promptly. “If you were bi-sexual, I’d take a risk and make a pass at you.”

Bi-sexual? I watched his eyes turn a sultry green and found I was breathing a little faster. “Um, how do you know if you’re bisexual?”

He shut my door behind him and sauntered over to my desk, around the corner and right up to me. “There are a couple of different tests but the one I prefer is this one.”

I was glued to my seat, my eyes wide and my hands holding onto the arms of my desk chair. His elegant hand lifted my chin and he pursed his lips, turning me to the left and then to the right. But when I was least expecting it, he leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. It wasn’t enough and I licked my lips to gather his taste. He tilted my head up and smiled, taking my mouth with such fervor I was lost.

His tongue eased my lips open then skimmed inside like a hummingbird, first here, then there while my breath grew short and I had an urge to haul him down into my lap and investigate *his* mouth. But then he pulled back and I made an unhappy sound.

“You passed, Mr. Larabee. It appears you are bisexual.” His face was slightly flushed and I was sure I was beet red and very out of breath.

“Oh, good,” my brain had melted and I felt like an idiot.

“Would you like to discover more about your new proclivity?” He leaned back against the desk while his finger slowly traced each part of my face, along my jaw, over my chin then up to my eyebrows.

Part of me thought I was nuts but a very important part of me wanted more – and it wasn’t my cock, although he thought getting some would be great. My team had lessened the loneliness but at night in my bed I realized how very lonely I was. Ezra challenged me, irritated the hell out of me some days and made me feel alive. My heart was frightened but willing to give this a try.

Taking a deep breath, I captured his hand. “Yes, I’d like to learn more if . . . you’re willing to teach me?”

This time he was the one widening his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Then we should go to dinner and begin to explore what we might become.”

*** 

Two months later, we were still dating and I was getting so comfortable with him that I thought nothing of slinging an arm around his shoulders or leaning against his body. And kissing was becoming something about which I dreamed. Buck had noticed and he took me aside for a long talk. Surprisingly, he’d been all for us. He told me it was about time I woke up and fell in love again.

Was I in love? Could Ezra and I be lovers? Damn it, the way my body came to attention when I so much as heard his voice, told me I was in lust but I wasn’t sure if it could be love, too. The more time we spent together, the more time I wanted to spend with him. He was a perfect gentleman and we hadn’t even gotten naked together yet.

But then he had to go undercover and suddenly I couldn’t get my Ezra-fix on a daily basis. I broke all previous records for surliness until Vin and Josiah sat me down and read me the riot act. It was the first I knew they were a couple. They’d just bought the ten thousand acres that bordered mine on the north and were already making plans to remodel the thirty year old ranch house.

They told me to get a grip and start making plans to take Ezra home to figure out our relationship. I was speechless and Vin looked pretty smug when he reminded me of the three weeks of vacation time I needed to use or lose and the weeks Ezra had. They wanted me to take the whole time and have a honeymoon of sorts. I realized I had the absolute best friends in the world.

I felt better after our talk and I spent the evening doing chores while thinking about what I wanted. Watching my horses frolic in the lower meadow, I felt an ache of loneliness that stabbed me right in the heart. I needed my wise-cracking, erudite chameleon by my side. He cared for me, I knew that much. He was holding off because he knew I was unsure about the future.

But without him in my life, my future didn’t look very rosy. I was so close to becoming the same kind of curmudgeonly hermit my former neighbor had been that it frightened me. I didn’t want to retreat any longer, I wanted to move ahead. Exploring my changing sexuality was what I wanted more than anything and Ezra was the only person to help me. Now I just had to tell him that.

Sheik Ahmed Tislani was scum, pure unadorned scum. He bought and sold explosives and guns in the name of Allah but he was no religious fanatic, just your average arms dealer with a liking for money and what it would buy him. Ezra had been undercover for two months and the three times we’d spoken he’d been all business. All his calls were taped so there’d been no private message for me.

I couldn’t tell him I loved him and wanted to take the next step so the Larabee-glare had been in full force that entire week. Ezra thought it was almost done and we’d be able to catch him with his hand in the gun-jar. When the word came down to meet at the Garden of Earthly Delights, I was the first one out the door. But the others were right behind me and so were Teams 3 and 4.

Barely keeping myself under control, I listened to the wire feed and felt my impatience rise. The only reason I kept it together was the fear I might get Ezra hurt if I threw caution aside. He was serving the meal with a woman he called Fatima and who called him Ali. There was the oddest jingling in the background and I wondered what the hell it could be.

I couldn’t understand what they were saying since it was in Arabic and where the hell Ezra had picked up his fluid speech and accent; I couldn’t wait to find out. The interpreter kept up a running dialog for us but he was translating the bad guys and not Ezra or the girl’s speech. His eyes widened when he stopped speaking and turned his eyes to me.

“Sir, Agent Standish just muttered something about getting ready.” He gulped and dropped his eyes. “He says if he gets groped one more time he is going to perform, ah, surgery on the Sheik’s . . . um, balls.”

That’s my Ezra I thought with satisfaction before realizing just what kind of groping might be going on. I snapped to attention, which is hard to do when you’re bent over in the back of a van, and growled at him to keep listening.

“Yo, Chris, big truck just pulled up and six guys came out to open her up.” Vin’s voice came over his wire feed from the rooftop where he was stationed. “Crates are the guns with the fluorescent x’s on them.”

I felt a surge of adrenaline hit and I waited for the first of the crates to be carried in before giving the order to move. The next few moments were a collage of colors, sounds, and odors but a few really stood out. The smell of freshly roasted lamb went oddly with the smell of gun grease. The Sheik wore the flowing robes of the Middle-East but he had rouge on his face and what I thought was lipstick. He was screaming insults in a mix of English and Arabic and the person he was screaming at was Ezra.

And it was Ezra who made me stop dead in my tracks and just look. His chest was heaving with effort as he wrestled the Sheik onto the floor and the sight of bare, almost naked lover was enough to start my cock hardening. It was the ‘almost’ he was wearing that made me start to drool. Heavy blue and green silk flowed down his legs to cuffed ankles. But the groin part barely clung to his slender hips and flat stomach. He had a green jewel in his navel and the color matched his eyes perfectly. The bulge at his crotch looked promising and I swallowed hard to get some saliva going.

But everybody was looking at him, especially the members of Team 7. And I was suddenly jealous as hell about them seeing him this way. His eyes were snapping when he stood up, hands on hips and looked Team 3’s leader straight in the eye.

“Mr. McHaffey, if you can pull your eyeballs back into place and put cuffs on this miscreant, I would be obliged.” He stamped his foot on the Sheik’s lower back and I heard that jingle again. “And you will let him put them on, Sir, or I shall make sure you regret every moment you spend in prison. Even if I have to call in some favors.”

His voice was low and menacing and I was so hard I was afraid I’d come in my pants. “Need a little help there, Ezra?”

A heated look pierced me and that sweet Georgian accent flowed over me. “Ah am doing well, Mr. Larabee, but a coat would be nice. Ah appear to be the center of all eyes and ya’ll know how much Ah hate the limelight.”

Buck burst into laughter and handed over his trench coat. “You’re just a shrinking violet from the South, aren’t ya?”

Ezra put it on and smiled while buttoning it up, suddenly looking like a little boy dressing up in his father’s clothes. “Ah am, indeed, Mr. Wilmington. Now since we seem to be finished here, Ah’ll find my shoes and we can depart. The paperwork alone will keep us up most of the night.”

I cleared my dry throat and his eyes came to me. “You bring any other clothes with you, Ezra? You want to change before we leave?”

“What ya’ll see is what yah get, Mr. Larabee.” His lips curved upward and I wondered if I’d be able to move without coming. “Ah’ve a change of clothes in mah locker at work. Ah can change into them once we get there.”

“Then let’s get to it,” I said briskly and forced myself to move away from him and over to Derrick of Team 4 so we could make sure every ‘t’ was crossed and every ‘i’ dotted. Behind me I could hear Buck and Josiah joking with Ezra and him giving back as good as he got. I kept telling myself to hang on, we’d be in our offices shortly and I’d be able to hold him. Maybe kiss him and definitely help him change clothes.

But I loved his costume and wouldn’t mind seeing him wear it just for me. 

Back at ATF headquarters, he disappeared into the suite’s bathroom and I bit my lip, wanting to follow so badly I could taste it. Vin nudged me hard and Josiah intercepted Travis while I slipped down the hall and knocked on the door. It opened a crack and Ezra’s hand reached out to pull me in. Once in, he slammed me against the door and took my mouth with all the passion absent in my life without him.

He tasted of lamb and goat cheese but also of himself. His tongue wrapped around mine and sucked on it like a mother’s teat. I was so hard I was afraid I’d break it off. My hands slid over every square inch of his skin I could reach and there was a lot of skin. I could hardly wait to take him home so I could explore more of him.

Finally he pulled back a bit and opened those beautiful eyes. “I missed you, Chris. Going under this time was harder than it’s ever been before.”

I was giddy with relief and longing. “I missed you too, Ezra. The boys will tell you I was a complete and utter bastard to everybody.”

“Josiah might have mentioned it.” He smiled at me and his hands came up to cup my face. “You’re all right with Vin and him?”

“It was a surprise at first but Vin seems happy and content so I’m all for them.” I told him honestly.

He chuckled. “Vin needs someone who will hold his heart close while letting his spirit soar free. And buying the Timmons place is just the start.”

Vin and I had spun some wishes one night at Inez’s Grill about breeding and training horses. This might just prove to be the start of making that wish come true. I was still wrapping my mind around it when he pulled out of my arms and that odd jingling noise came back only louder.

“If you would be so kind, Chris to get my casual clothes out of my locker,” he asked me, hands on hips.

“There are bells on your pants.” I sounded like an idiot but the gentle chimes were mesmerizing. A knock on the door brought me back to attention and Vin’s voice had me opening it.

“You forgot these, Chris.” He had the gall to smirk at me and wiggle his eyebrows. 

I growled at him but my heart wasn’t in it and I took the clothes he handed me before turning back to Ezra. He gave his hips a little shimmy and the bells hanging from the gold trim on the waistband chimed again. I was so hard I ached. His sultry look softened and he moved back to me, his hands busy at my waist. Then my cock was springing free while he went to his knees in front of me.

“I dreamed about doing this while I was trying to sleep in the back room of the Garden.” His hands gently stroked the hood of skin down my cock but then his tongue was tasting me and that hot mouth of his was sliding down me until all I could feel was him. 

I shivered once, a full body shiver that made my bones ache then he was humming around me and I was shooting like a sixteen year old with his first blow job. If my knees hadn’t been locked and the door hadn’t been bracing me, I’d have fallen right over. But he was still swallowing around me and every last seed I had was joining its brethren down his throat.

“Tasty, very tasty, my love,” he chuckled and licked around my cock. “And now, if you’ll leave me to redress, I can join our colleagues in finishing up the never-ending paperwork.” He rose to his feet gracefully and tried to take the clothes I was still clutching to my chest.

“I want to go further.” I blurted out. “I want you to show me how . . . full intercourse goes. I’m ready.”

His gaze went hooded and he stilled. “We’re still quite new, Chris. A little longer won’t hurt.”

Shaking my head, I smiled. “I’m no shy, innocent virgin, Ezra. Well, I mean I haven’t ever experienced anal penetration but I know the basics. There can be pain but you’re experienced and I trust you to make it good for me. I’ve never even seen you completely naked yet and I want to.”

He pursed his lips and tilted his head in the thinking pose that makes me so hot. Then his eyes refocused and I wondered what his speculative look meant. “All right, Chris, we’ll start with that and then proceed.”

I nodded eagerly and watched his hands go to the waist band of his harem pants. There must have been a hidden snap or something because they suddenly let go and slid down his legs to the cuffs above his golden sandals. But my eyes were too busy looking at the cock rising to attention to notice anything else.

He was . . . big. 

I licked suddenly dry lips. 

He was . . . thick.

He was . . . never going to fit inside of me. I swallowed and took my courage in hand. Sinking to my knees in front of him, I dropped his clothes to one side and reached out with both hands to stroke him. He was warm and velvety soft. I could barely fit one hand around him and I wondered if I’d need a tape measure to figure out his girth. I gripped him firmly and heard him gasp.

Looking up, I made sure it was a ‘good’ gasp before going back to gazing at his monster cock. A single tear of fluid appeared in the long slit of the flaring plum colored crown and I daringly leaned over to lick it away. He tasted bland and maybe a little bitter but I was determined to give him the same release he’d just given me so I persevered. He groaned when I sucked in the whole of his crown, only then realizing I wasn’t going to get much more than that in my mouth.

“Dear heavens, Chris, you feel wonderful.” His hands came down to card through my hair and I smiled at the praise. “Don’t over tax your muscles, love. That’s enough for now. Just rub your tongue over me and add in a little suction. He’s been deprived of any release for over a month so it won’t take long to make him let go.”

I hummed agreement and felt him jerk, releasing more seed to me. Adding in a little suction while my hands slid up and down the rest of his shaft, I managed to get in a bit more of him. I was pretty proud I’d managed that and decided to move a hand to his balls to see what that would do. He groaned again and I felt them tighten in my fingers.

“Pull back, Chris, I’m close.” He warned me with a hand to my cheek but I just winked at him and sucked harder. “Oh my . . . Chris . . . dear God.”

His harsh whisper sounded so unlike him I almost stopped but then he was jerking and coming. I tried to swallow it all, but some of it escaped and ran down my chin. His fingers tightened around my head but finally they went back to combing through my hair.

“You were inspired, Chris. I haven’t come that hard in years.” His voice was relaxed with a husky note that made me want to start all over again. “Sweetheart, once we get home, we’re going to practice this until we both can’t get it up again.”

I hummed agreement and slowly pulled away. “He’s not softening, Ezra. Did I do something wrong?”

He pulled me up and back into his arms. “You did everything so very right, I have no words to describe my joy.” He kissed me hard and we shared our tastes. But then he stopped and stepped away to finish getting undressed so he could put on his regular clothes. “I don’t soften until I’ve come at least twice. He’ll just have to wait until we finish up the paper work. Then we’ll go home to . . . practice.”

I watched him dress while zipping myself back up. Practice had never sounded so good.

*********************


	5. Beginnings, part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris remembers.

********* Chris ********* 

Ezra was napping again when I came in from finishing my chores. He was curled up in the recliner, the polar fleece blanket covering him completely with just the tip of his nose poking out. The fire was crackling in the big stone fireplace and I sat on the floor by his chair, soaking up the heat and watching the flames snap higher. His head wound had healed and even the little scar left by the stitches was beginning to fade but he still needed rest more frequently than before.

The team would meet here tomorrow to hash out what we wanted for our futures. One on one, we’d talked to each other so I was pretty sure we were in agreement. But Sunday would settle some of those details we needed to solidify. I’d warned Travis we were looking at some changes and that wily old man had just nodded. I was never sure if he realized Ezra and I were a couple or not.

I was really looking forward to having him move completely in with me and sell off that townhouse of his. I’d grown used in the last week to having him right by my side day *and* night. Smiling, I took a sip of my coffee and cast my thoughts back in time to when we’d first spent a whole three weeks together.

*** Flashback - 

Ezra stretched all over and I watched him come awake. “Chris, what ever are you watching me for?”

“I like looking at you, Ezra.” I told him the truth and waited for his chuckle.

He went from indolent to pounce-mode in a flicker of an eye. Sliding on top of me, he matched our groins while taking my lips hostage. When he kisses you, nothing is left out – no part of your body is left untouched. I will never get enough of his kisses. Never, I vowed silently while stroking his back all the way down to his cheeks.

They were rock hard and I could still remember the searing heat when I slid inside that little hole and made love to him the night before. It had taken a week of playing and stretching before I felt ready to make love to him. I’d honed my cock-sucking skills and his cock no longer seemed so fearsome. Still big and still thick but I was feeling a little more adventurous now so I was hoping to get him to try me out.

But he was adamant we needed to take it slow and he assured me I was always welcome inside of him. I didn’t want to pout but I really was ready for more.

“You’re plotting something, Chris.” His teasing voice from under my ear made me wiggle beneath him.

“I want you to stretch me some more. I liked what you’ve done so far and I’m curious what it will feel like.” I smiled up at him and watched his eyes widen. “Please?”

His cock was interested, real interested if the hard length against my hip was any indication. He reached over my head to the shelf which had once held a book and a Kleenex box but was a lot more interesting now that a tube of lubricant and a couple of sex toys had been added. I’d taken the medium sized dildo two days before and having it massage my prostate was better than anything I’d ever felt.

“All right, but you are to tell me if it’s too much.” He admonished me while slicking up two fingers. “We have all the time in the world and I have no wish to hurt you.”

“A little pain isn’t going to kill me, Ezra.” I widened my legs so he could come between them. “I like having you inside of me. It’s like being connected to more than just our bodies.”

His smile was bright and he leaned down to kiss me while teasing me with tiny brushes against my entrance. Then both fingers were sliding in and flexing gently. It ached and stung a little but I concentrated on staying relaxed and tasting his tongue. If I could just patent his taste, we’d be rich and could retire tomorrow. I thought maybe the next fifty years of making love would be a good start on my taste tests.

That’s if I could ever get him inside of me. But the burn was now extreme and I realized he’d slipped another finger in. His eyes were watching me with the hooded look that made me shiver. If I’d been standing up, I’d have gone weak-kneed. He wanted me, I knew that but this was a look he’d never given me before and I felt like a mouse confronting a hungry cat.

“It’s burning, I know. Tell me what you want, Chris.” He asked me tenderly.

“It’s burning a *little*, Ezra. I want the bigger dildo so I’m ready for you.” I slid a hand down to grasp him and felt him shudder with need. “I’ve been patient but I’m not some shy, innocent virgin who can’t take a little pain.”

“Ah, but you’re my virgin, love.” He kissed me again and his fingers flexed in larger circles while I burned for him. Then he pulled away and sat up gracefully. “Up on all fours, Chris and I’ll try the anal plug.”

Finally! I sat up, kissed him hard and turned over in a single movement. He chuckled and began spreading the thick lotion he’d gotten at the Asian Market over the realistic plug made of thermal plastic, otherwise known as soft-skin. It felt like skin and if you held it, it warmed up like touching real flesh. He’d ordered it from a company called Good Vibrations and one of these days I was going on line and order something to surprise him.

The first touch of lotion slick fingers made me push back impatiently. He chuckled and caressed my spine with his other hand. “You are such a delight, Chris. You greet each new experience with such enthusiasm, you . . . inspire me.”

I blushed and looked over my shoulder. “I like everything you do, Ezra. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any fun. I got so lost in mental pain I forgot it was okay to be happy until you reminded me.”

His eyes softened to a rich moss green and he leaned in to kiss me. Tender caresses to lip and tongue followed by gentle fingers stroking me with velvet tips while I purred for him. He was brushing love over every part of me and I was soaking it up like a sponge. The more he gave me, the more I wanted . . . needed . . . craved.

But now the sting was turning to a burn and I felt myself stretched wide by the base of the plug. His warm fingers pushed it in and pulled it out a little. I flexed a little around it and wondered if I’d ever shrink small again. He bent down and began kissing up my spine. 

“How . . . does . . . it . . . feel?” One of his hands languidly pulled on my balls and I shivered all over. “Tell . . . me . . . true.”

“Big and there’s some burn but it’s not bad.” I told a tiny white lie.

“Really,” he chuckled and rolled off the bed, heading for the bathroom. “Then come and shower with me so we can start cooking breakfast.”

Now? I grumbled and awkwardly slid off the bed. Every little motion moved the plug and burned a little more. It felt a foot long and about ten inches wide even though I knew it wasn’t. I walked bow-legged into the bathroom where Ezra had the water running already. His delighted smile when he saw me brought a matching smile to my face. He didn’t smile enough and I liked that *I* was the reason he was happy.

“Too much?” He asked me with a lifted eyebrow.

“No,” I said shortly and straightened up, forcing the plug deeper with a flinch. “I’m not a shrinking violet, Ez’. I can take a little discomfort.”

His smile widened and he stepped into the shower stall behind the glass door. His hands reached for the soap and lathered up, reaching for that cock of his and sliding it through his fingers. “This” he almost sighed “. . . will not be a ‘little discomfort’, Chris.”

I stepped in beside him and closed the door behind me, sliding my arms around his solid body. “You give me your love with every touch, Ezra. As for your cock, I think he’s beautiful and he’s going to give me so much pleasure I’ll probably pass out.”

He stood stiffly in my arms for a moment then melted against me, his arms hugging me close. “You’re a fool, Chris Larabee.”

“I know that, Ezra, but I’m your fool.” I rubbed my hands up and down his back, warming him and nudging him under the water spray. 

Chuckling, he returned the favor. We washed each other carefully and I made sure to tease his cock every few moments. I had the feeling he’d been hurt in the past by potential lovers who’d showed fear. He was still a bit of a mystery to me and I thought maybe I was to him as well. That flash of insecurity told me he wasn’t quite sure of my feelings yet. I’d have to work a little harder at making him comfortable with me.

I was tired of being the strong one all the time. The last few months had taught me I could trust him to take care of me, to teach me new things and to guard my heart the way he guarded his own. But I’d met his mother so I was pretty sure why he hid his feelings under a mask. I was working on getting him to take it off when he was with me. Of course, I preferred him naked both emotionally and physically.

And he liked me that way, too. We were a pretty good match and I made sure he knew it.

“Chris, how does it feel now?” One of his hands was tenderly gloving my cock with soapy fingers.

I checked my body and found it really didn’t hurt that much. “Big, but the burn is gone and it just feels awkward now. You going to take him out and put Mr. Standish in?”

He chuckled and bit his lip for a moment until I soothed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and he welcomed me in. I do love kissing him. He’s fire and spice and rarely the same two kisses in a row. I was addicted to him, which was why it was so hard to lose him to an undercover assignment. I just plain missed him when he was gone.

But he was pulling back with a smile and he pulled me under the shower head. “Then we shall rinse and I will take you back to bed.” He ran the washcloth over my back and down over my buttocks. “There I will remove this plug and give you myself.”

“Yes!” I shouted and rinsed off quickly, making sure he was, too. We dried hastily and I walked a little gingerly to the bed. If I was real lucky, I’d be walking funny for days.

“On your side, love, that will be easier on you.” He plucked the plug from between my cheeks and I sighed in relief.

But his words registered then and I turned to look at him. “That’s not how I took you last night.”

“I am not a virgin, Chris.” He smiled down at me and motioned me to face away from him. “I needed you deep within me and being on all fours brought me that wonderful sensation. In time, if you wish, we can experiment with a multitude of positions. For now, please let me guide you in this.”

“I trust you, Ezra.” I told him and watched his shy smile blossom. Of all the things we’d said to each other, love was the hardest thing for me to say and the word trust was his. But we were getting there and I did trust him not to hurt me so I rolled onto my side and felt his cool slick fingers slide in.

“Thank you, Chris,” a soft kiss was nestled under my ear. “This cream has a numbing agent in it so you may feel a slight loss of sensation shortly but that is a good thing for now.”

I frowned a little at the feeling of three fingers. “We didn’t use it last night.”

He chuckled. “Virgin versus non-virgin, my love. I promise once you’re used to me we will forego such precautions.”

The fourth finger folded in and I shivered with the extreme fullness but managed to keep my moan to a gasp. He flexed them gently and I pushed back a little to get them where they could spark my gland. But he sighed and pulled them out instead. I whined deep in my throat but he moved up closer behind me and I felt the warm blunt crown press against my hole.

I should have been stretched enough to take him easily but I could feel pain start to radiate from my entrance. He pushed steadily and it hurt . . . it hurt more than anything we’d done before. I was panting when he finally popped through and stopped moving. Forget the plug, it was a pencil compared to the nightstick he’d just shoved inside of me.

“Too much, Chris, you’re in pain.” His voice was low and I could feel him start to back away.

Grabbing his hip with my right hand, I stopped him. “Wait . . . I’m . . . adjusting.” Breaking my leg hadn’t hurt this much, I thought through the red haze behind my eyes. Why was there so much pain? “Tell me I didn’t hurt you last night.”

“You felt full but not painful, my love.” His head rested between my shoulder blades and his hands held me close. “Don’t let me hurt you, Chris. We do *not* have to do this now. Frankly, we never have to do this ever again. You satisfy me in so many ways, I don’t need this to tell me you . . . love me.”

I brought my hands up to hold his. “I know we don’t, Ezra. But I want to experience it all with you. I want to know how it feels when you’re inside of me like I now know what it feels like to be inside of you. Your heartbeat is coming from your cock. It feels odd.”

He relaxed a little and his hands petted my stomach. “I felt yours, too. Remember what you said about being connected? We truly are at the moment but it need go no further.”

I flexed a bit and felt my inner muscles spasm again. I’d had worse, I decided. “More, Ez’, give me a little more of him.”

“Very well, Chris, but you are to tell me what you are feeling, step by step.” He pinched my stomach and I pushed back to get away from his teasing fingers only to shove myself further onto him. “Dear god, you are tight.”

Tell me about it, I thought. “How does it feel to you, Ezra?”

“Better than anything I’ve ever felt before,” his voice was muffled against my back and I smiled involuntarily. “Your heat is like standing over a furnace vent on a cold winter morning.”

He was almost all the way in now and his hands stroked my stomach as if to feel if he was going to come out there. His leg eased between mine, giving him more room to maneuver. I shivered and remembered he wanted to hear what I was feeling. “I wonder if my insides are moving around to make room for you, Ez’?”

He snorted with laughter and finally stopped balls deep. “I don’t believe so, my dear Chris. You feel a little less tense now, is it getting better?”

“Yes, he’s all the way in, isn’t he?” I wondered if I’d ever grow used to this. Or if I was going to have to wimp out on him.

“He is and I must admit he’s extremely happy in his current location.” His hips began a minuscule movement rocking slowly out an inch then back in. “Is there any pleasure or is it swamped with the pain?”

Hot, it was really hot, I decided. “I think he’s sitting on my prostate. It’s so hot in here.”

He licked up and down the top of my spine while moving a little more. “You exude heat, Chris; it rather feels like dipping my cock in molten lava to be inside of you like this.”

“Oh yeah,” I was panting again while my cock started enjoying himself. “Damn, it’s like little shocks from an electric outlet. Go a little faster, Ez’.”

And his hips moved faster. “Dear heavens, Chris, I can actually feel those shocks myself.”

I started pushing back to get more of him . . . faster . . . harder . . . something. My cock was hard as steel and one of his hands had joined mine in stroking him. And suddenly my body couldn’t take any more and I seized up all over. He buried his shout in my shoulder and I felt heated liquid flood my bowels.

It felt like the top of my head had come off and I was limp all over when he slowly rocked himself free of me. My brain was whimpering and when he pushed me onto my stomach so he could check me, I went with a groan.

“No blood,” I heard relief in his voice and felt the bed give when he rolled off to head for the bathroom.

That was good, I thought hazily. It still felt like he’d parked the Jag in there, I chuckled quietly and wondered why my shoulder stung. He was back quickly and I felt him cleaning away the trickles of cum from between my cheeks. Then he kissed the stinging spot. “Sorry about that, Chris, I’m afraid I bit you.”

I got control of most of my muscles and rolled into him. “Good, I like making you lose control enough to brand me.” His smile was a little tentative and I pulled him down on top of me. “I liked it, Ezra. I liked having you inside of me even though there was some pain. As a former virgin, do I get a reward for grace under pressure?”

Then I batted my eyelashes at him. He choked and laughed at the same time. There, I thought with relief, he knows it’s okay now. We’re okay now. When he kissed me again, I opened to his tongue and sucked on it languidly. We kissed softly for long moments and I felt more connected to him then I’d ever felt before. Maybe there really was something profound about losing your virginity, I thought and I moaned when he pulled away. 

“My dearest ex-virgin, you do get a reward for your bravery and prowess under pressure. I believe breakfast in bed and your choice of meal are the very least of what you can expect today.”

Smiling, I surreptitiously flexed my ass muscles and felt a twinge radiate up through my back. “Pancakes with peaches and maple syrup, for starters. Then I think I want a hot bath after breakfast and after that, one of your massages with the cinnamon oil.”

His smile was tender and bright. “I think you’re inspired, my love. Stay here and rest while I get breakfast ready. Don’t move a muscle and be thinking of other rewards. This day belongs to you.”

I smiled and watched him pull on a robe to leave the room. Flexing again, I thought about sex and what it meant to me. It wasn’t just sex, I realized. This was love and commitment and the desire to mate with the man who’d brought me back to life. I had loved my wife and child with all the passion in me and their deaths had almost destroyed me. But I could feel old places inside of me wake up with Ezra’s touch.

Ezra’s emotions echoed in me and suddenly, I wasn’t scared to show those emotions. I’ve been called cold and hard and for a long time, I truly had been. Feelings hurt so I tried not to have any of the softer ones. But one by one, Team 7 had opened me up and brought me out of the shell of pain in which I’d been living.

First Buck stormed in and reminded me of the friendship of my youth. Then Vin looked at me and suddenly I had a brother-in-arms. JD bounced in and brought me into the 21st century with his computers and enthusiasm. Nathan nagged me into taking better care of myself while Josiah made me stop and think about concepts I’d always taken for granted.

But Ezra was the one who teased me, ran rings around me and reminded me of love; crazy, insane, overwhelming love like I hadn’t felt in years. Suddenly I wasn’t just getting by I was experiencing new things and remembering old emotions in a new way. I flexed again and thought about whether I wanted to take him in again. I knew he’d never push it or even ask me, letting me decide our future course.

But I liked it when he took control. Rolling out of bed, I stood and waited for my insides to stop squishing. My first step was hard and I could tell I was going to be sore for a while. But I kept going, grabbing my robe and belting it around me while I walked gingerly towards the door. I didn’t want to be separated from him today. I’d just got those barriers of his down.

I’d be damned if I let him raise them again. Standing in the door to the kitchen, I listened to him humming and watched him prepare our breakfast. He was good at everything he did, I decided before crossing over and sliding my arms around him. He stilled and tilted his head up at me. I kissed him hard then pulled just far enough away to look into his eyes.

“I love you, Ezra P. Standish.” I started off the way I meant to go on. “I’m hurting a little now but you’re going to come back in me until I get used to having him deep inside. He’s a part of you and I want all of you. Do you want all of me?”

He bit his lip and nodded. “I find I do, Chris. My heart is rather battered but it is yours and has been for some time. I love you, too.”

This time the warmth filled me from head to toe. “Then we’ll muddle through this somehow.”

“Muddle,” he flashed a supercilious look at me. “Standish’s never muddle, Sir. We finesse and we do it very well.”

I grinned and listened to him chastise me while he poured the first hotcake on the griddle. Maybe I’d learn a little finesse along the way myself.

*** End Flashback


	6. Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra sells the townhouse and moves in with Chris.

********* Chris ********* 

I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans. This was it – once we unloaded the truck and put everything inside, Ezra was officially moved into my place. It wouldn’t be *my* place anymore, it would be *ours*. I had the feeling I had a silly grin on my face, a really silly grin but I couldn’t wipe it off. After six weeks of roller-coaster emotions, wrenching farewells and truly bizarre rumors about what Team 7 was really doing, we’d finally left that old life behind and were ready to start anew.

Beeping brought me out of my daydream; the movers were backing up to get the rear of the truck near the front steps. Ezra joined me then with a smile and a list of where everything was going. I’d suggested we do the move ourselves but he’d chuckled and told me he had plans for me that did not involve waiting for wrenched muscles to heal. He said he’d rather pay young bucks to risk their backs rather than watch me risk mine.

Since he was balls deep at the time, I’d agreed hastily and gone back to pleading with him to go harder, faster and deeper. He did. Now, the moment had come when part of my furniture was leaving while part of his was taking their place. Actually, we’d compromised on a couple of items. He hated my current sofa; I disliked his fussy antique so we were going shopping this weekend for something we both liked.

“Chris, if you’ll direct these good gentlemen to the living room and dining room, I shall make sure the bedrooms are taken care of.” Ezra’s voice brought me back from thoughts of the perils and delights of shopping with my lover.

“Sure, Ez’,” I took the map he handed me and we split up.

Two hours later, each piece of his furniture was in place and half of mine was on the truck headed for the good Sisters of Mercy in Purgatorio. To my chagrin, nobody had wanted any of it for their own places. Suddenly everybody had ‘plans’ that didn’t include sort of . . . battered . . . furniture. I swear the entire team had been watching HGTV and the decorating shows.

I’d overheard more than one conversation about stained glass, fabrics and faux-finishes. It was a frightening thought but we all sounded amazingly . . . domesticated.

“Beloved, I think we’ve done quite well.” Arms slid around me and I clasped his hands, bringing each one to my lips to nip and kiss.

“You’re . . . right . . . we . . . did . . . good.” I had a sudden urge to take him to bed and if his nuzzling between my shoulders was any indication he had the same idea.

“Excellent idea,” he chuckled. “We shall repair to our bedroom so you can see what I’ve done with it.”

I froze. “What you did with it?”

His hands slipped from mine and he came up beside me with his neutral face on. “I believe I mentioned a change in the bedding among a couple of other items.”

Think fast, Larabee or you’re going to be sleeping Ezra-less. “I forgot, Ez’. Let’s go see it. We need to test-drive it . . . um, them.”

He nodded and walked down the long hall to the master suite. I caught up with him in two giant steps and slipped my hand in his. A sideways glance from bright green eyes told me I needed to remember he hadn’t ever, in any way shape or form, ever moved in with another soul before. He had to be more nervous than I was since I at least had some history of family.

Suddenly I remembered Vin telling me how weird it had felt to share his living space with someone after ten years of cherishing his privacy. He’d had a dozen foster families before he was 18 and turned loose by state welfare. From the little pieces of Ezra’s past he’d let drop, he’d been moved from pillar to post until he went to college. I had my own opinions about Maude’s upbringing of my lover but that was for another time.

Now was for stopping in the doorway of a room I barely recognized. The black oak four-poster was the same but it was pushed out from the wall so a towering . . . something was pushed behind it. It was black oak with shelves, little drawers and mirrors that gleamed silver. It should have loomed over us but it kind of fit in somehow. A Japanese six-panel shoji screen canted across the far corner and I wondered if the dresser was hidden behind it because I couldn’t see it anywhere.

“Wow, where did this come from, Ezra?” I went up to the tower and measured its depth at about 14 inches. It extended past the edges of the headboard about a foot on both sides. “It looks really old.”

“It is all I have of my father’s side of the family.” He perched on the edge of the mattress. “When I saw your bed, I thought of this immediately. I’ve had it in storage for almost 15 years. Luckily, you built the ceilings here at ten feet rather than the normal eight and a half. Do you like it?”

My fingers were tracing the carvings of acorns and squirrels that danced up and down the paneled sides. “I love it, Ezra. How old is it and are we going to have to increase our insurance?”

He finally smiled at me and that cute little dimple flashed out. “It’s almost three hundred years old and was one of the first cupboards crafted in what is now Staten Island. The first American Standish held one of the original land grants and appreciated good woodwork. And I’ve already increased the policy in keeping with some of the other pieces I brought with me.”

I decided not to ask how much more it was now because I’d finally focused on what he was sitting on. Reaching out my hand, I stroked across the cream colored duvet cover and said distractedly, “that’s good. What material is this, Ez’? It feels like suede.”

“Very good guess, Chris,” he smiled and pulled me down beside him. “It’s dry clean only, I’m afraid but it feels like a little bit of heaven when you roll naked across it.”

“Oh yeah, let’s test it out now, lover.” I leered at him and watched him relax even more. “Ezra, I like everything I see and feel. Don’t ever be afraid of surprising me with something new. I can be a little stuck in the past sometimes.” He smiled up at me and I kissed him gently. 

“Naked,” he murmured, “I want you naked now.”

I agreed with that sentiment and we helped each other out of our clothes. He was right, the cover felt positively sinful to every bit of skin that rolled over it. We took our time, stroking and sliding and rubbing until we’d got into position for an old fashioned sixty-nine. He tasted damn good and I drank him down like my favorite Irish mocha crème. But once he teased me into releasing, I lay on my back, arms outstretched with a silly grin back on my face.

And that’s when I noticed another change. “Hey, we’ve got railings now between the four posters. What goes on them?”

He chuckled and rolled up by my side. “Various curtains to fit our moods or our fantasies. I have several different sets but I thought I’d let you choose our first décor. We have white sheers to evoke the jungle, heavy crimson velvets for a medieval feel, multi-colored silks for an Arabian ambiance.”

I thought about it for a long moment, running through the scenarios we’d used in the past. “What kind of medieval world would they be evoking?”

He curled up into my side and I slid both arms around him, putting our heads together on the pillow. His face was contemplative and one of those graceful hands of his started stroking my chest. “I believe something around the time of the Crusades. One of the knights has brought home an exotic slave to live in his castle. It would be the opposite of our version of the Saracen and the captured knight.”

I loved that one, ‘cause I always got to be the knight who had to be tamed by his new ‘master’. But it might be fun to play it just the opposite. “That sounds good but wasn’t that the same time as Robin Hood?”

He chuckled and raised up to look down into my face. “You’re thinking of tights, aren’t you? You’ve been trying to get me into them for months now.”

I tried for innocent but couldn’t resist another leer. “Yeah, I’m thinking green tights the color of your eyes and a little brown leather tunic that doesn’t quite cover your . . . assets.”

Laughing out loud, he slid back down and tucked his head under my chin. “I’ll see what Jacques can come up with, ‘Robin’. Of course, we could also play the Lord and the Peasant. The droit du seigneur aspect would be delicious if I chose to bed the groom instead of the bride.”

Cold then hot, I thought about that scenario. “I like that one, Ezra. I like it when you take my virginity in a new way.”

He hugged me close and licked my skin lazily. “We’ll be a hundred before we run out of ways to take each other’s virginity.”

I hugged him even tighter. “We’ll be celebrating our 62nd anniversary when I hit the century mark. You’ll have to go easy on me by then.”

“My dearest Chris, we’ll go easy on each other.” 

I heard a hitch in his voice and I smiled into his hair. “We’ll be the envy of all our friends. Rain and Nathan’s kids will have grandkids of their own by then. Family get-togethers will have a whole new meaning.”

“Family,” he agreed and I felt him slide into a little nap.

This moving in together was going to be all right, I thought with a little sigh and closed my own eyes. We had more to do but taking our time would be okay by me. We were safer now and we had all the time in the world.

*************************


	7. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They look for a new sofa.

********* Chris ********* 

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and waited for Ezra to join me. Standing on the front porch, I looked out over the corral where Vin and Buck were schooling our latest purchase. A big part of me wished I was over there while a tiny part whispered going shopping might be fun. Even though the day was sunny and warm, I felt a shiver run up my spine.

Shopping couldn’t possibly equal fun, not in my book.

But Ezra was adamant we needed to go together to chose the new sofa. I think it was his out loud musings on whether a classy aubergine would look nice that decided me. Well, once I looked it up and realized he was thinking about purple . . . 

Purple, I shuddered all over, gave in and told him I’d be glad to go along. He’d smiled sweetly and blocked out time in his schedule for our trip. He was on the phone to Japan at the moment, negotiating a preliminary meeting between two companies who were thinking of doing business together. He’d been contemplating becoming a business mensch, as he liked to call it, for some time and our decision to leave law enforcement fit right in.

“Ready when you are, Chris,” his voice startled me.

Looking at his trim figure in the cream colored linen slacks, matching jacket and green shirt, I thought about how much I wanted to take him back to bed. “I’m ready, too. Truck or Jag?”

“The truck, I think. If we find something appropriate, we can have them load it.” His eyes sparkled up at me and I fell in love all over again.

I’d thought he might decide that so it was sitting in front of the house all clean and polished. Waving to the guys, we got in and headed for town. Ezra had a list of furniture stores and their addresses but he directed me to the edge of Denver where something called Furniture Row could be found for our first stop.

If we were lucky we’d find the perfect one, buy it and take it home. I stopped dead in the entrance of the echoing building. Bigger than five football fields placed end to end and side to side, I’d never seen so much furniture in one place in my life. It was going to take forever just to walk from here to the back of the store.

“It looks like they have a good selection today,” Ezra smiled and headed in.

I didn’t want to lose him so I hurried right after. We passed through paisleys, country-cute, sleek-teak, chrome, I paused at a black wrought iron with thin cushions. It looked like some kind of masochistic instrument of torture and I gulped when Ezra paused too.

Lifting an eyebrow, he looked from it to me, running a finger along the spiky back and smiling. “Not in my dungeon, Chris.”

See, he really can read minds.

“Come along, Chris, the leather is waiting.” He started off again and I followed along wondering if they had sofas in that suede material on our bed.

That might be kind of interesting I thought and cast my gaze out further to see what we were headed to. Gradually the sets of sofa and love seats gave way to bigger sofas upholstered in darker fabrics. More . . . manly, I guess you could say. Looking to see who else was here, I saw a couple of guys wandering around aimlessly and I wondered if they wanted to be here anymore than I did.

“Aubergine, Chris,” Ezra ran a hand over a rolled arm done up in kind of a deep plum shade. He winked at me and I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled and began to inspect those sofas nearest us.

I went in a different direction so we could cover more territory. The sooner we found a good couch, the sooner we could go home and test-drive it. I decided my criteria for the perfect sofa was how comfortable it was when Ezra took me over the back or side. So I measured each back as to where it hit my crotch. To hell with color, my comfort was more important.

They were all too low, I thought after ten minutes of concentrated effort. Turning to find Ezra, I saw him speaking to a salesman who had a disinterested look on his face. That bothered me for some reason and even from here I could tell Ezra wasn’t thrilled with him. My lover wasn’t a fanatic about good manners but he did expect to be served with politeness.

Right then and there I wrote off this store. I started back towards him and noticed he was angling towards the front left of the building. It was tricky threading through the sofas but gradually I met with him at the edge of a sea of chairs. We did need a new chair to sit across from the recliner we both loved.

“Good morning, gentlemen, may I help you look for something in particular?” The cheerful voice came from a young man with a goatee and his long blond hair in a pony tail, wearing a green t-shirt with the words ‘Legolas Lives . . .’ and a picture of the Elf from the Lord of the Rings movies.

“We’re looking for a comfortable leather chair in one of the darker colors.” Ezra said with his neutral face on. “Not a club chair but also not a wing-back, I think.”

“Sure, let me show you what we’ve got in right now.” He grinned and turned to the right.

On the back of his t-shirt, it said ‘. . . With Gimli’ and a picture of the dwarf from the movies. I snickered when I made the connection and the salesman tossed me a grin over his shoulder. “The subtext in the books was unmistakable, don’t you think?”

I hadn’t read the books but Ezra was flashing the grin that made my knees go weak. “I would say you are quite right, Will. I don’t think Tolkien ever realized how strongly he’d written their friendship.”

“True, but if you *really* want to find some great stories then you need to go on-line and read some of the fiction that’s come out since the movies hit the big screens.” He winked from beside a navy blue leather chair and I finally saw his nametag – Will. “How about this one?”

Ezra sat down and stroked the soft leather arms. “Too deep for me but Chris, why don’t you try it?”

I’d already walked behind it and shook my head. “Too short backed.”

He chuckled. “True, you pick out the backs and I’ll test them for legs.”

The salesman had caught on, I’m pretty sure but he seemed all right with us, calling out when he found one that might work. Ez’ sat in black ones, green ones, plum ones and even one in something I would have called mustard, but kind of like Goldilocks none of them were just right. Until we crossed over into the section of rejects. I swear somebody on LSD had to have been creating those colors.

They hurt the eyes, they were so bad. Ezra looked like he’d tasted something bad and even Will grimaced. “I know they’re evil but some of them come in colors that won’t scare the kids. There are a couple I think you might like.”

“Lead on, Will, the least we can do is try.” Ezra winced at a kind of chartreuse green that looked like something out of Ghostbusters. We walked up to a red chair that had a wide seat and rolled arms. When Ezra sat down in it, the arms seemed to fit at just the right height for his elbows. The back sloped a little and his head fell back naturally to rest on the dark crimson leather.

Walking behind him, I could see the back was just right for him to bend me over and take me hard. “How’s it feel, Ezra?”

“Comfortable seat, the back is at a good angle,” he wiggled a little and curled a leg up under him after first slipping off his loafers. The sight of his long elegant foot wearing just a sock made me go absolutely rigid with need. “Will, does this one come with a footstool or hassock or maybe even a sofa?”

“I’ll go get the catalog.” Our salesman smiled and headed off. 

Resting my arms on the back of the chair, I leaned in a little. “The back fits me just right. We’ll need to christen it once it’s home.”

He chuckled, his eyes looking up at me from his comfortable spot. “I’d be glad to make sure it fits our . . . exacting requirements, Chris. But let’s change places so you can try it out.”

I took his place and felt instantly at ease. “I think it’s wide enough you could sit in my lap, too.”

He perched on the arm after slipping his shoes back on. “Yes, I could, love. I have a good feeling about this one, Chris. If we’re lucky, it comes with a look-a-like sofa and a nice big ottoman. Then the living room will be done and the major shopping finished.”

“I thought you still wanted a dining room table and chairs?” I leaned back and under the cover of his leg, stroked the linen cloth behind his knee.

“Yes, but that’s something I think should be commissioned. A native artisan who is close to his Colorado roots and works in mission oak or perhaps even a Stickley-like designer is the person we’re looking for.” He winked at me.

“Hey, gentlemen, it does come in several other pieces.” Will approached us with a slick looking catalog in one hand and a chain full of different colors of leather swatches.

Oh god, I called them swatches. Maybe *I’ve* been watching too much HGTV.

“Nice, very nice indeed, Will.” Ezra’s eyes were alight with interest and I craned my neck to take a peek. “See the same nice lines and the rolled arms,” he pointed to a colored grouping of a sofa, love seat and chair with ottoman. “They’re nice and solid. I’m inclined to get all four of them, five if we get more than one ottoman.”

Will had splayed six colors out for us and my eyes went right to a soft butterscotch, my fingers coming up to stroke across it. Looking at Ezra, I saw him nod approvingly. “We’ll take them in this color. Did you want two ottomans or more?”

“I believe two will suffice, Chris. The loveseat and one of them will go into my office for those moments when I’m waiting on a call or have a client who is reading a prospectus.” Ezra smiled at Will. “Let’s write up the order and give you some remuneration.”

Will grinned and pulled out a sales contract from his back pocket. “I had a good feeling about it. Here, write on the catalog.” He handed them to Ezra and my lover took another seat nearby. “Did I hear you say you’re looking for a dining room table and chairs?”

I gave a short explanation of why we didn’t like either of our current tables. He nodded then kind of shyly handed me a business card. ‘Will and Peter Barnes, Furniture Makers’, their address and phone were listed in antique font with the picture of a carved acorn in the corner. For some reason, it reminded me of the carvings on the Standish cupboard.

Ezra finished filling in the forms and handed them to Will, standing to peer over my shoulder at the card. “Excellent, Will, may we make an appointment to look at your wares?”

“That would be great. We don’t have a lot of pieces since we mostly build to order but Peter has a few he kind of went crazy on while he was carving.” Will beamed at us and his pride in his partner’s work shone through. “Whenever is convenient for you except for this weekend. We’re taking some of our wares to the county fair over in Jefferson.”

Ezra had his PDA out and was checking his schedule while I handed over my Visa with a surreptitious movement. I was determined to pay my own way even though he’d probably always make more than me. Horses would never bring in big sums but breeding could bring in the occasional winner and the financial markets had their own share of downturns. Although Ez’ was extremely careful in his investing, saying he was no gambler when it came to money.

It was just his heart he’d risked with me, he said one night when we were still talking about retiring from the government, and that gamble had paid off handsomely. I’d kissed him hard for the compliment and we’d made love for hours before finally falling to sleep.

“How about Monday at three, Will?” Ezra asked. “Here’s one of my cards.”

“Sounds good, I don’t work here again until Wednesday.” Will took the card and jotted the date and time down on it. “I’ll go put in this order and be right back.”

“Chris,” Ezra’s voice was faintly chiding.

I looked innocently at him. “What?”

“I thought we were splitting our costs fifty-fifty.” He sat back down on the arm of the chair.

“We are and when it comes time at the end of the month to divvy up, we’ll split it then.” I gave him my modified glare, the one I used to use on other law enforcement officers who were being dense. “The household account is for both of us to decide on and I think we just decided that we *both* liked that set.”

“My dear Chris,” his soft voice made me melt inside and I felt his fingers lightly touch my shoulder. “I’m so very lucky you love me. However, my office is part of my business. The loveseat and ottoman need to be parceled out so I can use them as a tax deduction.”

I chuckled, wanting to lean into his touch but knowing I couldn’t. “That goes without saying, Ezra. I never get between a man and his tax strategies.”

“Fool,” he said without any heat. “I wonder if Peter is Will’s brother or his lover.”

Blinking at the sudden change of subject, I looked over to the office area. Will was finishing up work at the cash register while ignoring the other salesmen who were lounging around. “I got the impression he meant life-partner instead of blood-partner.”

“Hm-m, I did, too. He seems like too nice a young man to be working here.” Ezra’s face showed the tiny moue of distaste I’d started looking for when he was tense. “The other salesman was the closest thing to rude I’ve seen in quite some time. I couldn’t tell if it was the fact that we were two men or if he just dislikes Southerners.”

My eyes narrowed and I sent a laser glare at the tall blond who’d been so dismissive. “Did you catch his name?”

“Tom, but we are not doing any investigating, Chris. He’s simply an unpleasant person of whom the world has rather too many.” The little touch was back and I fought the urge to lean again.

“Nah, Ezra, you’re right. There’s way too many assholes in the world and now we’ve got our new sofa and chair, we don’t ever have to come back here again.” I smiled up at him and tucked the name away until I could talk with JD. What Ezra didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him and I was determined to make sure he didn’t have to put up with any kind of nastiness. “We don’t have any other shopping to do, right?”

It was his turn to chuckle and he stood up when he saw Will returning. “No, Chris, we are finished with our chores for the day. You can safely return home and the delights of horse-gentling.”

I shot out of the chair with a sigh of relief. “Thank God, this wasn’t too bad – for a shopping trip, that is.”

“Practically painless,” Ezra reassured me with a flash of his dimple.

“Here’s your card, Mr. Larabee, and a copy of the sales receipt.” Will smiled at us and handed everything back to me. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen. I look forward to seeing you on Monday at 3:00.”

Ezra shook his hand then I did. Threading our way through the furniture, I kept my eye on the door and avoided looking at anything else. I’d been good but I need fresh air and open spaces after spending an hour and a half in this furniture barn. Once outside, I took a deep breath and smiled.

Maybe I needed to get a little Ezra-fix before I went to help the boys with our new mare, I decided. Once we were in the truck, I leered at him and wiggled my eyebrows. “Since it didn’t take us very long, Ez’, maybe we could go home and practice our . . . moves for when the new couch arrives?”

His grin was pure imp and his hand immediately arrowed onto my groin. “Why Chris, what a good idea. I’ll just help you get ready, shall I?”

Those clever fingers of his were going to have me hard and aching by the time we got to highway six. I grinned and pulled out of our parking space. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

********************


	8. Achoo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birch challenge - Chris gets sick for the first time since he and Ezra became partners.

********* Buck ********** 

I watched in slowly creeping horror while Chris sneezed four times straight and started rubbing his temples. Vin looked concerned but with a kind of grin that told me he didn’t realize what was about to happen. I gulped hard and started making plans – like a quick get-a-way and the turning off of our cell phones for about four days. If I was real fast, I’d miss the fallout from this debacle in the making.

“That must have hurt, Cowboy.” Vin said jokingly and I winced.

“Damn dust,” Chris’ voice had sunk an octave just since the sneezing. He cleared his throat a couple of times and spit at the fence. “I’m fine.”

Oh, this was bad, I thought with sinking heart. He was looking a little flushed. “Maybe we should call it a day, guys. The sun’s over the yardarm and I could really use a nice cold beer. JD wants me home early so we can watch Pirates of the Caribbean again tonight.”

“Hey, Josiah really liked that movie.” Vin lit up like a Christmas tree. “Let’s do quit early. Maybe I can get ‘Siah to watch it again tonight, too.”

Chris grunted but headed for the barn and I kept in a sigh of relief with practiced care. Vin let our latest filly into the paddock where she could nibble some hay and stretch her legs without all the two-legs talking to her. I pulled him aside for a minute before we headed in ourselves.

“Vin, don’t expect to work for the next two days, maybe three. Chris is coming down with a cold and believe me when I say, you do *not* want to be any where near him when he’s sick.”

He grinned quizzically at me. “I’ve been there when he was shot, stabbed and beat up. How bad can a cold be?”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not bad when he’s hurt but he’s the worst son-of-a-bitch you’ve ever known when he’s ill. He’s so cranky you want to run for cover. He’s got a nasty mouth on him and he loves sharing the misery. Poor Ezra is in for a bad couple of days. Damn, I’ve got to warn him before Chris goes inside.”

Vin chuckled and headed for the barn while I whipped out my cell phone and called Ezra. This would be the real test for their relationship. No mistake about it.

********* Chris ********* 

My nose was stuffed up.

My head was throbbing.

My clothes were too tight and they hurt suddenly tender skin.

Damn it, I was sick.

Buck could hardly wait to escape and Vin was right behind him.

How the hell was I going to explain to Ezra that I needed to be left alone for the next few days? I’m a piss-poor patient in the best of times but when it’s something stupid like a cold, I get so angry at myself for catching it that I lash out at everybody. Ezra didn’t deserve that but it would just be better all around if I moved into one of the guest rooms until I felt better.

Closing the front door behind me, I headed down the hall to his office. Sticking my head through the doorway, I frowned. He wasn’t here. The new love seat and ottoman looked great and I’d often find Ezra sprawled out on them while waiting on a phone call or proofreading of one of his proposals. Not today though and I wrinkled my nose against another series of sneezes but ended up almost blowing my head off anyway.

“Chris, I’m up here.” Ezra’s voice floated down to me. “Come up at once.”

If I was feeling better, my dick would have thought that sounded good but he didn’t even twitch. Trudging upstairs, I tried to think of something to tell him but my brain was already beginning to turn off. I could hear the water running and wondered why he was bathing so early. Crossing to the doorway of our renovated bathroom, I watched Ezra swish his hand through what looked like green water.

“Buck called and warned me, my dear Chris.” He rose and moved to stand in front of me. His cool hand on my cheek was all the warning I got before the thermometer slipped under my tongue. “I’ve added some Kneipp eucalyptus herbal essence to the water and that will help your chest.” His clever hands were quickly stripping me down to bare skin. The thermometer beeped and he took it out of my mouth to read it. “Hm-m-m, 101 degrees is not good.”

I was suddenly shivering and he guided me over to the tub and into the steaming water. I sank down and felt my whole body start to relax. The steam was faintly scented or maybe it was just my nose clearing up a little. His hand stroked through my hair until I felt like purring but it would take too much energy.

“Relax and I’ll be right back.” He dropped a kiss on my head and left the room while I was ducking down a little to make sure all of me was under water.

The ache in my bones was increasing but for the moment my skin didn’t feel quite so bad. My eyes felt like they had sand in them and my throat was starting to hurt, too. Another volley of sneezes racked my whole body and I used the washcloth to wipe my suddenly runny nose. A noise at the door told me Ezra was back and I opened my scratchy eyes in time to receive a mug of something hot.

“Drink that slowly, Chris while I get the bed ready.” He made sure I had a hold of it before turning to leave.

“Wait, Ez’,” I managed before I sneezed again and slopped some of the hot liquid into the bath. “I should stay in one of the spare rooms. I’m not a very good patient.”

He suddenly smiled at me. “So Buck has warned me but I think I’ll keep my eye on you just the same. Drink, Chris, it will help with the fever and aches.”

I nodded glumly and sipped the hot lemonade. It must be the Thera-Flu stuff from the medicine cabinet that appeared when he moved in. It wasn’t too bad, I thought and took another sip, kind of tangy and tart. It was mostly gone when he appeared again. He’d stripped down too and I tried out a leer but he could tell my heart wasn’t really in it.

“My poor love, let’s get you up and into bed so you can start to heal.” He took the cup and laid it to one side before holding out a big towel enticingly. I stood up slowly, the room doing a 180 but he was right there to steady and help me out of the tub.

I should have felt surly. I should have been pushing him away, not accepting his help and letting him pamper me. Had I turned into a wimp since turning bi-sexual? I thought about that though it was kind of fuzzy and I was back to shivering again. He steered me into the bedroom and the beautiful sight of our bed turned down invitingly.

The sheets were cool at first and I was shivering all over until he joined me. He’s like a little furnace and I slid into his arms with a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Ez’.”

“You’re quite welcome, my love.” His hands stroked gently over my back. “Sleep and grow stronger, Chris. There’s nothing you have to do, nowhere you need to be. Just relax and let me take care of you.”

I was already falling asleep.

***

Two days later, I was bored out of my little mind. My eyes were still scratchy so I couldn’t read. The TV Ezra had moved into the bedroom had absolutely nothing worth watching although I had kind of enjoyed Oprah’s program on Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden. I didn’t want to listen to music because nothing fit my mood. My body ached all over so no position in bed was comfortable. The pillows were either too hard or too soft and I couldn’t punch them into a good shape at all.

I was bored, bored, bored. Ezra hadn’t been in for almost two hours and I suddenly wondered if he’d left me all alone in the house so he could get away from my bad temper. I’d been pretty cranky about breakfast this morning. Well, the toast had been cool not hot the way it should be. I shifted uneasily while thinking about the look on his face when I complained.

It was the neutral face I hated. There was nothing worse than seeing the physical signs of his retreat behind the walls he erected to protect his spirit. A noise from the doorway brought my eyes up in time to see him saunter in with a chilled glass bowl in his hand.

“You’re bored, achy and feeling sorry for yourself,” he said with a lift of an elegant eyebrow.

I blushed hard. “I’m sorry about breakfast. The honey-cinnamon spread was really nice on the toast.”

“Hm-m,” he made a noncommittal sound and crossed to sit on the edge of the bed. “I thought we might share a little treat before I run a bath to take care of those aches.”

“What did you make?” I hauled myself up a little against the pillows and tried to crane my neck to see inside the bowl. His smile was slow and the silver spoon brought up some light brown mousse streaked with whipped cream. “Mint chocolate chip mousse?”

“Hm-m,” he fed me the first delicious spoonful and I had to close my eyes so I could savor the icy taste. It melted on my tongue like the ambrosia Ezra had told me about. 

By the time we finished the bowl, I could feel a slight stirring at my groin. I’d been sick all over and not even Ezra sliding into bed naked had awakened my libido. But now maybe I could entice him inside of me if I was really devious. He set the bowl aside and rose to cross to the bathroom. That’s when I finally noticed he was only wearing a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt.

How the hell had I missed that? The shorts were those little green silk ones with the slit up the sides and they clung to his buttocks like a second skin. Oh yeah, I was feeling better and my cock thought it would be a really good idea to follow him into the bathroom. So I shoved back the covers and slid out of bed. The room still had a tendency to tilt on me when I moved too fast so I held onto the bed post for a minute until I had my balance back.

The water was green again but a different kind of green and I recognized the big plastic jar with the words ‘Batherapy, natural mineral bath’ by the side of the tub. The stuff was amazing and we’d both used it before to ease aching muscles. But he’d already stripped off his clothes and I pouted because I’d wanted to do that.

“Into the tub, my love, and I’ll massage those aching muscles.” His green eyes flashed at me and we both watched my cock start to harden. “Goodness, I can see I need to take care of *all* those aching . . . muscles.”

Sinking into the warm water, I felt myself begin to relax all over except for my cock. He always did have a mind of his own. “Are you coming in?”

“Of course, Chris,” his soft voice took on soothing tones. He slid in the opposite end and picked up the Dove soap to lather his hands. “I shall wash you from head to toe then once you are back in our bed I shall massage away the aches of the day until you are calm and relaxed.”

His hands washed and massaged my left leg until it felt like a limp noodle. His fingers used just the right amount of pressure to relax each muscle group until I felt boneless in the soothing water. Then he switched legs and did it all over again. My cock was rock hard when his hands slid down him and back up. Soapy bubbles almost hid him from sight but then hot water rinsed him clean and I opened my eyes in time to watch Ezra deep-throat him.

Oh yes, here was heaven. His mouth is like silk and he sucks like a demon. His tongue moves like it has a brain of its own and I gave myself up to it with a sense of voluptuous pleasure. I had no stamina and within five minutes released with a sigh into his mouth. He swallowed me down then kept on washing me until my front was finished.

“Up you come, my love, let me get your back.” He brushed a soft kiss across my lips and I tasted him lazily. I always tasted better mixed with him. I turned over and let him scrub my back with the loofah. That felt wonderful and so did it ghosting over my cheeks and the back of my legs. I was limp by the time he kissed each buttock and started draining the water out of the tub.

I had just enough energy to get out of the tub safely before I plopped down on the toilet seat and tried to dry off. My hands were trembling but I managed most of me by the time Ezra was finished and could take care of the last of the trickles. He bade me sit there while he went to change the bed. I didn’t really have the energy to do anything else. That rather startled me since I wasn’t used to being so weak.

When I was sick before, I’d always been alone. Oh, Buck would call or drop by to make sure I hadn’t died but that was just one friend looking out for another. This kind of care was different. This was like having love wrapped around me from my head to my toes. It didn’t smother me but it did feel like I was cocooned in warmth and that felt wonderful.

“Come along, Chris,” Ezra appeared again. “Let’s get you back into bed so you can take a nap.”

He helped me up and steadied me all the way into the bedroom. The clean soft sheets were calling to me and I crawled in with a moan of relief. But when he would have left me there alone, I snagged his hand and tugged. “You too, Ez’, I need you to cuddle me.”

Chuckling, he slid in beside me. “Would you like a bedtime story too, heart of my heart?”

“Yes,” I said eagerly. “I like your stories, especially the sexy ones.”

“Ah, very well, one sexy story coming up.” He pulled me into his arms so my head was cradles just right in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. Strong hands stroked my back and I felt like purring again. “Let’s see if I can’t adapt one of the classics to fit the mood.”

I snuggled in and slid my leg between his. “Beauty and the Beast, please.”

**********************


	9. Beauty and the Beast, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fractured fairy tales - I warned you. 
> 
> [ text ] is present day.

********* Chris ********* 

Ezra began to tell his tale. 

Once upon a time, long, long ago - a merchant lived in a small village with his three beautiful daughters. His wife had died when they were still young and as a consequence they were rather spoiled young women. But very beautiful and since he was moderately wealthy, they had excellent dowries to find them good husbands.

Unfortunately, the shipping trade can go bad in a heartbeat and since the merchant had insufficiently diversified his holdings, he lost his whole fortune. Now word came that one of his ships survived so he journeyed to Port Royal to find out if it was true. His daughters bade him a fond farewell and he rode off on his mighty steed.

The good news was the ship survived but the bad news was the cargo had not. He didn’t have enough gold doubloons with him to spend the night in the expensive inn so he decided to find a nice hay stack and sleep there. On his way out of town, he came across a beautiful garden with high stone walls and what looked like a small stable. Thinking quickly, he knocked at the gate and waited for a reply.

“Who goes there?” A deep voice asked.

“I am a poor merchant looking for a place to stable my horse. I was hoping I could perhaps sleep in the stables just overnight. I promise I’d be no trouble and I’d be willing to do any chores you might need to have done.” The merchant asked.

“Hm-m-m, it’s been a long time since I had a good sword fight. I see by your sheath that you take care of your blade. Lodging, a meal and some sword play, is this agreeable?” The silky voice asked.

“Yes, thank you that would be fine.” The merchant replied as the gate swung open.

“Meet me in the great hall. The servants will show you the way.” 

The deep voice then disappeared while the merchant followed the sound of a hammer rhythmically beating an anvil. At the stables, he found a tall dark man, working near a forge. He’d been working without his shirt and the merchant gulped when confronted with the massive chest covered with dark hair and the well-muscled arms flexing in the heat of the fire. 

But the blacksmith smiled at him and introduced himself as Nathan. He took the merchant’s horse with a gentle pat to his arching neck and gestured him towards the large manor house that could barely be seen behind the thick pines. The merchant took his saddlebags and trudged up the long lane to the imposing stone mansion whose front door stood wide open in welcome.

The butler, who gave his name as Josiah, showed him up to a beautiful room with its own bathroom and took the saddlebags from him to unpack while the merchant took a nice hot bath. When he came out wrapped in a large white towel, the butler had laid out an outfit he’d never seen before although the fresh underwear was from his bags. The merchant was a little taken-aback when the butler matter-of-factly finished drying his back and began to help him dress.

“The master was pleased to loan you some evening clothes.” His big callused hands stroked the merchant’s skin while he laced up the crisp white linen shirt. Then he knelt to help him step into the delicate ivory hose that stopped just above the knee and secured them with a beautiful green garter that the merchant had never seen before. But before he could ask from whence it came, the butler slid up the second leg and secured that one, too.

Then those big warm hands were sliding tight black leather pants up his legs and the merchant was shocked to find his manhood rising to meet the soft touches he’d missed so much from when his wife was alive. The butler tsked-tsked and nonchalantly sucked the lovely peach’s-and-cream cock into his mouth while the merchant gasped and held onto the graying head giving him such pleasure.

[”Josiah?” I gasped and looked wide-eyed into a sparkling green gaze.

“It’s a slightly different fairy tale, my love. May I continue?” He grinned at me and I nodded weakly.]

It took no time at all for the merchant to release into the voracious mouth and while he was still reeling with shock, the butler calmly finished dressing him. “There, the master will be pleased with your appearance. Now, there is something I must warn you about. The master must leave you by 10 o’clock. He has a . . . medical condition that must be seen to at the same time every night. Sometimes he gets a little irritable just before he leaves. Please take no notice, simply bid him goodnight.”

“Yes, I will,” the merchant pledged while following the butler from the room. This manor and its inhabitants were stranger than anything he’d ever seen or experienced before.

“Oh, one other thing,” the butler stopped and smiled down at him. “You taste delicious, Sir.” His eyebrows wiggled. “I’ll be back to help you change for bed.”

They descended the stairs into the great hall while the merchant was still grasping for something to say to the odd man. But all thoughts fled his mind when he saw the twelve foot long dining table with fourteen high-backed chairs around it. His host was standing by the roaring fire dressed all in black. Green eyes stared at him and the lips quirked up in a sinister smile.

[“I thought I was going to get to be the Beast.” I said indignantly. “You know, get to glare and be nasty.”

“That’s a different tale entirely, my dear man.” Ezra chuckled. “I can change it if you wish although this version is rather naughtier than that one.”

“No, no, you go ahead with yours.” I hastily curled a little closer to him and made sure I was plastered to every square inch of skin I could reach. “Are the daughters even going to be in it?”

He kissed me silly then slid his leg in between mine, up snug against my balls. “They come in a little later. Now, shall I continue?”

Nodding, I rocked a little to get more comfortable. I hoped he got to the good parts soon.]

“Good evening, Master Merchant. I am Lord Standish and I welcome you to my home. Did Josiah take care of all your needs?” He asked.

The merchant promptly blushed and cast a quick look over his shoulder at the grinning butler. “Um, yes, yes he did, thank you. The room is very nice and so was the hot water. I am Christopher Larabee.”

Lord Standish nodded then gestured towards the table. “I’m glad, Master Larabee. If you’ll be seated, we can begin dinner.”

The butler pulled out his master’s chair and seated him before crossing to the other end of the oak table and seating the merchant. Flourishing the snowy white linen napkin, he placed it in the merchant’s lap, taking care to caress his genitals before stepping away. The poor man squeaked at the unexpected touch and he caught his host raising an eyebrow at him.

He just blushed again and dropped his gaze to the solid gold plates with polished platinum rims. The crystal was thin and beautifully etched with grapevines. A young man entered the room just then and the merchant gaped at the sight of his beauty. Tall with blond hair that rippled over his broad shoulders, he wore a pair of blue tights, soft black slippers and a simple white tunic slit up both sides to reveal creamy flesh with every movement. 

He came to the head of the table with a wrapped bottle of wine and poured a sip into his lord’s glass. Lord Standish tasted it before nodding approvingly. “A good choice, Vin. Please continue.” 

The wine steward smiled and poured him a full glass before crossing to the merchant and filling his wine glass.

“A toast, Sir.” Lord Standish raised his glass and the merchant made haste to do the same. “To weary travelers and grateful hosts.”

The merchant smiled and nodded before sipping the crimson brew. It flowed over his tongue like purest ambrosia and before he knew it, he’d finished the glass. But the wine steward was right there to refill it and then the butler was serving him a delicate porcelain bowl of steaming soup. He tasted scallions, celery and something else he couldn’t quite identify.

“Anise seeds crushed and added at the last moment before removing it from the heat.” His host answered his question before he could ask it. “The next course is one of my favorites, steamed asparagus with a touch of basil butter.”

A moment later and the merchant hummed in delight at the way the tender stalks of asparagus melted on his tongue. He almost blushed again when he looked up and saw his host poised in mid-bite, watching him enjoy his food. With a blink, Lord Standish returned to eating and the odd moment passed with the introduction of the third course, a bed of oysters lightly seasoned with garlic and cumin, nestling in their shells.

The merchant found the slippery oysters surprisingly tasty and barely kept a little moan of appreciation back. Looking up, he was transfixed at the sight of his host; head tilted back a little while an oyster slid from its shell to his waiting tongue. It suddenly felt very hot in the hall and he shifted uncomfortably, realizing for the first time that he’d become aroused again.

[I was rock hard and it felt like my fever was back. Ezra was stroking my stomach languidly while I trembled and tried to recall something right on the tip of my tongue.

“Is there something about these dishes, Ez’?” I felt his lips brush softly over my throat.

“They are all thought to be aphrodisiacs. We should try them some evening.” He teased the nipple over my heart then nipped gently. “Not that we need them, my dear Chris.”

“No-o-o, oh there, Ezra, right there.” I rocked back and forth while he kissed his way down my chest and finally sucked my cock into his warm mouth. I moaned over and over until with a final swallow around me, he hummed and drank me down.

I lay, loose and limp under him and he licked me clean before slipping from the bed to get a warm wet cloth. Eyeing his return, I could see his cock jutting firm and proud out into the air. “Come here and let me pleasure you, Ezra.”

“Not just yet, sweetheart. I have more story to tell and some stretching to do.” He’d brought the damp cloth and the jar of special lubricant with him. He kissed me slowly then coaxed me onto my side, facing away from him.

Sighing in pleasure, I urged him to keep spinning his tale.]

Dinner continued and ended with a lightly whipped chocolate mousse with shaved white chocolate sprinkles on top. The merchant couldn’t keep from moaning just a little at how very good it tasted and that earned him another odd look from his host. But after moving from the table to the comfortable study off the great hall and a pair of arm chairs, the merchant found conversation with his host was almost as fascinating as the meal had been.

Lord Standish drew him out about the shipping ventures, his family and his plans for the future. The merchant found himself pouring out his hopes and dreams while sipping slowly on a delicious cognac. Burning green eyes mesmerized him while the lord asked delicate questions about his personal life. But suddenly they were interrupted by the butler who simply pointed to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

It read five minutes to ten. Strange, it sounded like Lord Standish growled, the merchant thought in confusion. But then the man was standing and bowing slightly to him. “I have enjoyed our conversation, Mr. Larabee. Tomorrow, we shall have that sword match. Goodnight.”

Then he swept from the room, leaving the merchant to rather mournfully regret their intimate speech and the ambiance of the cozy study. The butler gazed at him appraisingly before offering him a hand out of the comfortable wing chair. “I’ll show you to your room and bed, Master Larabee. It should be nicely warmed by now.”

The merchant appreciated the steadying arm since the room had a tendency to swirl around him when he stood up. He thought hazily the second cognac might have been too much for his system. The floor seemed to dip and move beneath him but the butler kept him upright all the way to his room. They’d just reached it when a mournful howl echoed through the halls, gaining in loudness before slowly fading.

“What in God’s name was that?” The merchant started and stared about him.

The butler calmly opened the door and ushered him inside. “Just the cat, Sir, he’s been loosed for the night so I’ll ask you to remain in your room until dawn. He’s very . . . protective of the master’s property.”

“Oh, I see,” said the merchant who didn’t understand at all. He puzzled over the interesting evening while the butler slowly stripped him of his borrowed finery. He only woke to the fact he was completely naked when warm hands gently held his shoulders and turned him towards the bed. A not empty bed but one that held the lithe form of the wine steward. Only this time, he was naked, too. 

“The master doesn’t believe in using hot coals in a warming pan to heat up a bed.” The butler whispered in his ear while the young man in the bed sat up gracefully and pushed the covers back enticingly. “We’ll be joining you tonight to make sure you’re completely comfortable. Let us take care of everything.”

The merchant slid into the bed and into the strong arms of the wine steward. Their cocks dueled between them and he couldn’t help moaning a little at how good it felt. But then Vin was whispering how delicious he looked and his fingers were plucking at suddenly aching nipples while his long blond hair tickled the merchant’s skin. 

“Turn a little, Sir,” Vin whispered in his ear. “Watch Josiah.”

Master Larabee turned his head on the satin pillow and watched the big man slowly undress by the side of the bed. His eyes widened at the sight of the grizzled chest hair, the long arms and then he gasped when the pants slid down the strong legs to reveal a cock twice the size of any he’d ever seen. He gulped hard and wondered why his mouth was so dry with all he’d drunk that evening.

“He’s so beautiful,” the young man said with a happy sigh. “Come to bed, my love so we can pleasure our guest.”

The butler smiled back at him and slipped into the suddenly crowded bed. “I told you, Master Larabee that you taste quite delicious and Vin would like to taste you, also.”

“I . . . I don’t know what to say.” The merchant could see himself blush from head to toe. “I’ve never, ever lain with a man before.”

“Then we’ll show you some of the pleasures to be had between men, Sir.” The butler smiled and caressed the merchant’s chest. “We’ll do nothing to make you uncomfortable or to hurt you. If something feels wrong just tell us and we’ll cease.”

The merchant was still eyeing the huge cock that brushed against his leg but Vin laughed merrily and brought his eyes back to him. “Don’t worry, Sir, I don’t share Josiah’s cock with anyone, but we can show you how two men take each other. First though, I want to taste you.”

And saying that, he brushed his lips over the merchant’s who opened and allowed the kiss. It was almost sweet and rather chaste but it brought tears to his eyes for it had been so long since he’d shared a lover’s kiss. After that, the merchant was treated to tender touches, soft kisses and delicate caresses that made him ache and burn in turn. But the kiss that moved him the most was the one his bed warmers shared above him. The two of them had kissed their way down his body only to meet above his cock. They shared a long look then the butler tenderly kissed Vin with such sweetness, the merchant felt privileged to witness it.

But then they were back to pleasuring him with soft sucking kisses to his most intimate parts until his shaft spent itself in Vin’s mouth.

[I was writhing on the three fingers buried inside of me while his voice poured over me like honey. I’d have never thought of fantasizing about two of our teammates making love to each other but I had a new appreciation of Ezra’s ability to spin a tale.]

He relaxed all over while the wine steward lazily licked his groin clean. They were kissing again and he watched them with a sated feeling and an interested glance at both their hard cocks. The butler’s hand was caressing his lover’s shaft and the wine steward was moaning softly under his breath. Then they pulled apart and grinned at each other. Josiah reached out a long arm and pulled a small jar from under one of the numerous pillows at the head of the bed.

“This should satisfy your curiosity, Sir.” Vin said rather cheekily before kneeling between the merchant’s legs. “Get me ready, Josiah.”

The butler chuckled and motioned for the merchant to stuff a couple more pillows behind him so he could see more easily. Then he opened the jar and coated his fingers with the slick lotion while Chris watched curiously. His eyes widened when the butler slid two fingers slowly down the shadowy crease between the taut buttocks of his lover. But he gasped out loud when first one than the other side inside the tiny pucker he found there.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” He asked with a gulp even though the look on Vin’s face wasn’t one of pain.

“Did the first time or two since Josiah’s so big,” Vin sighed happily and wiggled just a little before flushing all over. “Oh there, my love, right there.”

“There’s a gland inside a man’s channel that gives great pleasure when stimulated.” Josiah told the merchant. “Lubrication and stretching are the keys to making it feel good. I’ll stretch Vin for quite a while before coating my cock with this lotion and sliding deep inside of him.”

The merchant was beginning to lose his breath and he actually felt his shaft stir again. Vin laughed out loud and reached back to get some of the lotion on his fingers. Then he slowly wrapped them around the cock stirring in front of him. “It feels quite good, Sir and even better I know it’s my very own lover who’s going to stretch me for his great big cock. Do you see how the crown flares out so wide, like a giant mushroom?”

He did indeed see the purple crown at least six inches across and the merchant whimpered at the thought of it ever fitting inside the hole, which was even now being stretched with three fingers. He felt restless and his legs spread almost involuntarily as if seeking more stimulation than the slick fingers were giving him.

“I could show you?” Vin said slowly and brushed a single finger behind the merchant’s balls to the small hole hidden there. “One finger only and I’d find your gland to see if you like it?”

The merchant froze, his eyes looking deep into Vin’s before he nodded very slowly. The feel of that slender finger breaching the tight muscle felt so odd that he almost forgot to keep watching Josiah stretch his lover with a fourth finger. But it didn’t hurt, it just felt odd so he smiled at the blond and nodded.

Two minutes later, he was panting and hard again. It felt like he was on fire inside and out. The small burn of the unaccustomed penetration had been overlaid with so much warmth that a delicious tingling swept throughout his whole body. But he forgot to feel for a long moment when Josiah removed his fingers and set that bulbous crown to the stretched hole and pushed.

Vin groaned and dropped his head, everything stilled while the long thick shaft forged steadily into his body. Only when Josiah could go no further did he begin to pant. Chris’ shaft had hardened to steel within the loose grasp and after a long breathless moment, Josiah began to move. Vin gasped and moaned louder, his head coming up and showing a beautiful look of pure bliss.

Then he started moving that finger inside of Chris and the merchant gasped and responded with some moans of his own. Josiah kept up the steady thrusting while Vin leaned down and sucked the merchant’s cock into his hot mouth. The bed creaked in time to the deep thrusts and they made love for almost half an hour before Josiah came deep within his lover and Chris shot down Vin’s throat.

Tired beyond belief, the merchant almost passed out but not before the other two cleaned up and curled around him, warming him all the night through. An approving growl came from the chair near the bed and the castle cat hopped down from where he’d watched the orgy to make his rounds of the property.

[Ezra had slid inside of me at the same moment he’d described Josiah sliding into Vin and I’d almost come on the spot. For a sick man, I’d sure come a lot today, I thought through the euphoria of being spitted on my favorite cock. His thrusts were slow and deep while he kept telling me the story and I finally came with a shout when he bit my shoulder and flooded me with his hot seed.

I was asleep almost before I heard him say, “And the rest of the tale comes later.”

**************************


	10. Beauty and the Beast, part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is turning out to be equal parts fairy tale and Decameron.

********* Chris ********* 

[I slept through the night with only one coughing fit and Ezra rewarded me with a wonderful breakfast and the decree that I could come out to the living room since I was finally feeling better. We showered together and finished the clean up job he’d done after I exploded on him. He made a fire for me then left me alone to catch up on his email while I started reading the new book in the David Drake Lt. Leary series.

When lunchtime came, we had grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. I was tired with just that much exercise so he chivied me back down the hall to our bedroom and the fresh sheets he’d put on sometime during the morning. Sliding into bed felt wonderful and he made me take some more Tylenol after he took my temperature.

“Tell me what happened when the merchant woke up.” I curled up beside him with my head on his shoulder and his arms around me while he smiled down at me.

“Very well, my love.” He kissed my forehead and began to stroke my hair.]

The merchant awoke when Josiah and Vin got up, each of them kissing him gently and telling him how much they had enjoyed warming his bed. The butler told him he could join them in the kitchen for breakfast and the merchant eagerly agreed. Dinner the night before had been so wonderful; he just knew breakfast would be, too. 

Vin stayed to help him get dressed but first he insisted the merchant get on all fours in the big bed. He told him the master had strong beliefs in cleanliness then he slipped a tube between his cheeks and released what felt like a gallon of warm water into his bowels. Just when it felt like he’d burst, Vin laid the bag aside and helped Chris into the bathroom where he voided what felt like a week’s worth of dinners. Then he washed him gently and caressed the rising cock with a brief kiss before buttoning up the merchant’s linen pants.

Chris would have pouted but he had an idea that perhaps Vin knew something he didn’t so he just shaved and washed before following directions to the back stairs and the cheery kitchen to which they led. A wood stove was radiating a nice warm heat into the large room where a tall, lanky man was humming tunefully while stirring something on top of the stove.

“Good morrow, Master Larabee, you’re just in time for breakfast.” The cook beamed at him and the merchant couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m Buck and we’ve got bacon and eggs, pancakes and fresh peaches from the orchards behind the manse.”

“Good morrow, Buck, I enjoyed dinner last night very much. Your cooking was inspiring.” The merchant said truthfully and sat down at the square wooden table next to Vin. The dishes were simple china instead of the sumptuous plates of the night before.

“I’m glad. The master loves the way I cook my oysters and the soup is his favorite.” Buck served the two of them a little bit of everything and the merchant watched Vin pour golden syrup over his pancakes then add some diced peaches on top of that. It looked so good he decided to try it himself.

Josiah came in then and placed a silver tray on the side board. “The master is enjoying a hearty meal, Buck. He said thank you for the peaches. Sir, he asked you to please excuse him and to explore the property at your leisure while he finishes his business correspondence. After lunch, he would be pleased if you would join him in the ballroom for your sword match.”

The merchant nodded since his mouth was full. After he swallowed, he answered. “Thank you, I should check on my horse. I had the feeling one of his shoes was loose. Perhaps your blacksmith could fix it, if it is?”

Buck grinned at him and served Josiah a plate heaped with food. “Nathan already did, Sir. But you might want to stop by anyway. If you’d be so kind, you could give the stable boy, JD a message from me. He helps out in the garden and I could use him a little later this afternoon.”

“Certainly,” the merchant agreed and finished his breakfast while the three old friends spoke about the estate and the news of the surrounding countryside. He listened in and wondered why there were no women ever mentioned. He thought it odd but given the proclivities of the butler and wine steward, perhaps the explanation was obvious. 

For some reason, he kept thinking of the burning green eyes of his host. Walking through the beautiful sunshine on the finely layered gravel paths that meandered through the verdant gardens to the stables, he thought about the free and easy sexuality the two men had displayed in his bed. It gave him a little thrill when he pondered whether or not the master of this vast estate had the same leanings.

He was all the way to the back door of the stables before he came back to himself and he adjusted his rising cock gingerly, wondering if he’d ever had so many erections in his entire life. Swinging back the great oak door, he stopped dead at the sight before him. The black smith was completely naked, his magnificent skin glowing in the sunlight, his long heavily muscled legs apart and his big hands tangled in the black locks of the young man kneeling at his feet.

The merchant watched transfixed as the stable boy licked and sucked on the dark cock in front of his face. Slowly but surely, the thick organ slid between pink pouty lips further and further until the lad whimpered a little and the blacksmith backed off a bit. Chris watched with his own barely silent whimper while the boy started bobbing up and down on the cock, each time a little more disappearing between his lips.

Chris was breathing heavily when the blacksmith turned his head and spied him. “Good morning, Sir. I hope you slept well. Come to see your horse? That’s enough for now, JD. You’re doing well.”

The lad backed away and let the black cock fall from his lips, getting up quite gracefully, so he and the blacksmith could share a heated kiss while Chris watched the beautiful contrast of creamy white skin layered against dark brown. For some reason he kept thinking about the dessert from the night before and his pants grew uncomfortably tight. Was everyone on this estate in permanent rut?

JD was looking at him now and Chris couldn’t help but see him appraising his form while leaning casually against the blacksmith’s side. “Good morning, Sir, I hope you slept well. Vin says you’re very warm blooded and you taste delicious.”

The merchant blushed from head to toe and the blacksmith chuckled while gently cuffing JD. “Don’t mind the boy, Sir. He’s still learning what should and what shouldn’t be talked about.”

Chris came in further and wondered helplessly if Nathan would mind him licking the glistening sweat from his chest. Perhaps the blacksmith read his mind for one moment the merchant was standing a few feet away and the next he was in a heated embrace with warm soft lips parting his as if they’d kissed many times before. The groan must have come from him, he realized in a daze.

Callused hands stripped him slowly while Nathan kissed him so thoroughly he was panting and trying to get in enough air to stay upright. JD was right behind him and the smooth skin at his back contrasted nicely with the bristly curls of Nathan’s chest rubbing his nipples into hard peaks. A hard cock nestled behind him while Nathan’s enormous shaft stabbed his stomach. He was on fire within and without when he felt an odd sensation behind him.

The stable boy had knelt and palmed his cheeks apart so he could lick the tender skin there. Chris groaned and hung onto Nathan, unsure if he could stand upright on shaking legs. JD pulled away just enough to say, “Vin is right, you do taste delicious.” Then he was licking and thrusting his tongue through the tight muscle while Nathan slowly caressed his shaft with one broad hand and his lips plundered Chris’ mouth with a thick tongue.

Just when he thought he was going to explode, Nathan backed away. “Stop, JD. I think it’s time you had another lesson. You can take care of Master Larabee at the same time.”

JD stopped and Chris barely kept back a disappointed moan. But he could hardly wait to see what the next lesson would be so he watched eagerly while Nathan patted a saddle on a wooden riser and held out his hand to the stable boy. “You too, Sir. Stand on this side so JD can reach you. You might like to kiss him while I get him ready.”

The merchant moved hastily and he watched while the young man was lifted up just a little then settled on his stomach upon the leather saddle. His legs came up and wrapped around the hips of the blacksmith. A tub of saddle soap was sitting open on the padded rail and Nathan scooped up two fingers worth before bringing them to the small hole between the plump white cheeks. Chris watched mesmerized by the slow sinking of the dark fingers through the tight muscle.

JD groaned. “So big, Nathan, you feel so big inside of me. Why does it feel so good every time you do this?”

Nathan gestured to the merchant to stroke JD’s shoulders and Chris knelt a little to bring those pouty pink lips to his. “Well, JD, the muscle is getting stretched a little more every day. I think you’ll be able take Buck this afternoon.”

Chris had a brief thought that he really hoped he could watch that when he realized what he’d just thought and he blushed even harder than before. Nathan noticed of course and he chuckled. “We’ll be in the garden, Sir. If you’re finished sword fighting with the master, you come out and find us. I’d like a taste of that pretty cock of yours myself. JD still hasn’t taken a cock up his tight little chute but Buck wants to be first.”

The merchant was sucking on JD’s tongue, tasting peaches and syrup but he was listening. It made him realize he’d never taken anything but a finger in that place then he colored again when he realized the tongue in his mouth had been there, too. But it didn’t taste bad, just perhaps a bit musky. Of all the beautiful men on this estate, he realized he’d be hard pressed to choose among them.

But if he was going to be deflowered, he wanted it to be the urbane man with the sometimes sad eyes who took his virginity. His mysterious host who intrigued him and fascinated him in equal turns, he pulled back when JD gasped and almost bit his tongue.

“Slowly, little one, tell me if there’s pain.” Nathan’s serious expression brought Chris’ hands up to the tension filled face so he could stroke away the frown lines in the young forehead. “You’ve got three fingers right now and that may be enough for today.”

“No,” he protested. “I want Buck to make love to me this afternoon. It doesn’t hurt that much, really it doesn’t.”

Chris’ eyes met Nathan’s and he could see the big man slowly flexing those large fingers inside of the boy. He shivered at what it might feel like and his cock pulsed out a little seed in response. For the first time in his life, he wanted to know that ache for himself. Once again, green eyes flashed through his thoughts and he barely kept the moan silent.

“Hold on, JD. Stay there and suck Master Larabee’s cock while I get something for you.” Nathan pulled out his fingers while JD groaned then tugged Chris to his feet so he could reach his cock.

“Oh, you look beautiful,” he said enthusiastically and the merchant felt that now-beginning-to-be-recognized-feeling of warm, wet heat engulfing him. The young one swallowed him whole and he groaned out loud, his fingers going to the silky black hair and carding through it. The stable boy’s hands held his hips still when he would have thrust forward and overbalanced them both.

Warm hands came up behind him while Nathan’s cock slid between his legs and tickled his balls. “Pretty as a picture, Sir. Your skin feels like satin and your hair is silk.” His fingers lightly pinched Chris’ nipples and the merchant gasped and writhed under the touch. “So sensitive, the master will like that.”

Chris heard that and came so hard it felt like a vise had gripped him. Nathan chuckled and held him up until he could stand on his own again. JD was still nursing on Chris’ cock like a puppy at his mother’s teat when the blacksmith moved away and took up his position between JD’s legs.

“Now, I’m going to put something inside of you that isn’t fingers, JD. Remember the dildos we’ve been working with? Well, this is the next size and it’s going to feel very full so you have to tell me if it hurts.” Nathan was holding something long and black but Chris could see it was wooden and vaguely shaped like a man’s penis.

JD twisted around and saw what his friend was holding, reaching out a hand to brush his fingers over it. “What’s that little bump at the end?”

“That’s going to feel really good against your sweet spot, little one. Are you ready?” Nathan asked gently and Chris watched JD nod. “All right, I’m going to get it all slick so it will slide right in. Sir, if you’d hold his shoulders still and kiss him a bit while I get him ready again?”

“Certainly,” Chris nodded and knelt to layer kisses over the sweet face in front of him. His hands stroked and caressed the upper chest of the young man and he remembered how good it had felt to have his nipples pinched so he tried it out on the stable boy.

JD mewled happily and gasped out his approval, making the merchant feel seven feet tall. Underneath the saddle, he could see the stable boy’s slender cock hard and leaking. So he reached under and gloved it the way Vin had done to his the night before. JD moaned and groaned but then he gasped and tears filled his eyes.

Chris looked up in time to see the hard ebony shaft sliding between the plump white buttocks. He brushed gentle kisses over the pale cheeks and murmured how beautiful he was like this. The cock in his hand, which had wilted, slowly filled again and he could hear Nathan kissing his way slowly up the lad’s spine to his hair.

“You did well, little one. So very well that I think it’s time you came, don’t you?” The husky murmur and tickling chest hair must have felt really good because JD’s tears dried up and his appreciative moan sent an answering quake through the merchant. “All right, now, up you come, JD.”

The merchant stood and watched the blacksmith lift the young man effortlessly and carry him over to a blanket spread out on some hay in an unused stall. He beckoned Chris to follow them and he joined them on the blanket, his hands coming to stroke the glowing skin of the youngster.

“Oh, it feels like it’s going to come out of my belly.” JD said, stroking his taut stomach and casting a dazed look at the pair of them. “Will Buck feel like this inside of me?”

“He’ll feel even better because he’s real and alive so he’ll move inside of you more easily.” Nathan explained before swooping down and engulfing the young cock. He sucked strongly while his slick fingers rolled the boy’s balls and JD thrust up and came so hard he passed out. 

The merchant kept stroking the flat stomach and wondered what that thing would feel like inside of him. Hard and thick, would it feel good or would it hurt like it had seemed to hurt the lad. He decided to ask. “Nathan, what did you call the . . . the thing you put inside of JD?”

The blacksmith tenderly let the limp cock fall from his full lips. “It’s called a dildo, Sir and I’ve got all kinds of sizes and shapes.” Dark eyes came to his and Chris wondered what he saw there to bring that grin to his mouth. “Would you like to try the small one out, just to see what it feels like?”

Did he? Chris gulped and nodded, watching Nathan rise and disappear out of sight for a few moments before returning with a slender shape that looked much smaller than the one inside of JD. He brought the saddle soap with him and Chris watched him smooth slippery salve all over it.

“This one is made of ivory, carved by a sailor for those long voyages between available women. It’s got a raised groove that feels really good when it’s twisted inside of you.” He knelt by Chris’ hip and stroked between his legs. “Are you sure you want to try this now, Sir? If so, it will be easier if you’re on all fours.”

Chris nodded firmly and turned over, rising up on all fours and feeling Nathan kneel behind him. “Now, I’m going to get you ready first so you just go ahead and moan whenever you feel like it, Master Larabee.”

And the merchant felt a long wet tongue tasting him again while he shivered and shook beneath the wonderful assault. JD had come to again and he crawled underneath Chris to kiss and tease his nipples. Then Nathan was asking him to push out against him and he felt the dildo stretching him wide. If this was the small one, what must the one JD was wearing feel like, the merchant thought and panted. Finally, he felt Nathan’s thick fingers stroking his nether cheeks and every now and then twisting the dildo inside of him.

The heat was scorching and Chris couldn’t seem to get enough air to breathe. He realized he was on his side with Nathan’s cock slid between his legs. Every thrust of the blacksmith’s pelvis pushed the dildo against his gland and JD was enthusiastically sucking on first his cock then on Nathan’s. They took it slow and came all together in a rush after almost an hour of playing with each other.

Chris actually missed the dildo when Nathan plucked it from him. Doing a sketchy wash up, they redressed and Chris finally checked on his horse. He was doing fine and the merchant left the stables with kisses from each of the stable hands to walk back to the manor house. He felt like he’d put in a full days work and muscles unused to such labor twinged a bit when he climbed the steps to the side door where the butler was waiting for him.

Tsk-tsking, Josiah whisked him upstairs and a nice hot bath. When he got out, Vin gave him a hot oil massage and tucked him into bed with a soft kiss and the promise of lunch after his nap. Downstairs, Lord Standish received the reports from his friends and servants. He smiled and decided to make a few changes to his plans for the afternoon.

 

[I took the ivory dildo that Ezra had bought in Hong Kong on his last visit and tugged on the silk ties that bound my wrists above me. But my lover just kept twisting it inside of me, hitting my prostate on every other stroke while tugging on my nipple clamps occasionally.

“Very nice, Chris, how beautifully you take the grinning Buddha.” Ezra twisted it again and the little protrusion on the tip hit my gland and made me swear.

“Damn it, Ez’,” I could hear myself whining. “Fuck me. Please, please, please fuck me with you not the damn Buddha.”

He chuckled and gave it another twist and a thrust that made my hips leave the bed. I couldn’t get my legs around him because he’d locked my ankles into the bar so I was open everywhere to whatever he wanted to do with me. My cock was diamond hard but caged in silk and leather, my balls were so hard and tight I was afraid they were going to explode if Ezra didn’t do something soon.

“Dear heart, if I’d known that fairy tales turned you on so much, I’d have been telling them for the last two years.” His tongue painted my stomach muscles while his hands stroked after. Then his lips were sucking lightly at my crown and I tried to come off the bed. His chuckle vibrated throughout my whole body while I moaned as pitifully as I could.

“Very well,” he tenderly screwed the dildo out of me and before I could take a breath, he slid himself in instead.

The stretch and burn was extreme but then it always was. Maybe in fifty years I’ll get over being surprised by his length and girth but not until then. He’s the extra-large economy size and I’m unbearably smug about that. When he finally finished sliding in, he paused and tugged on the nipple chain while I arched up then back down, forcing him against my gland while I whimpered.

“So good, you always feel so good around me.” He stroked up my chest and tickled my arm pits while I tried to get away, laughing all the while. “I love it when you’re all opened to me.”

“I do too, Ezra. I love it when you play with me although it’s going to be interesting when we next see the others.” I grinned up at him. “There’s more to the fairy tale, isn’t there?”

“Indeed there is, beloved, much more.” He promised me in the smoky voice I loved. “I promise the master of the house will be just what the merchant ordered.”

Then he proceeded to make love to me with all the care and attention he used with all the things he loves, like his work and his stories. And I loved every minute of it.]

*************************************


	11. Beauty and the Beast, part three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More slashy goodness, fairy tale style.

********* Chris ********* 

[Ezra was going to wear me out, I thought while lying limp in our rumpled bed. He’d removed all our sex toys and washed them after taking care of me earlier. Now he was coming back with our dinner tray and the savory smells made my stomach growl. A thick juicy steak with a baked potato and some gingered carrots had me suddenly finding enough energy to sit up and stuff some more pillows behind me.

“Eat up, sweetheart, you used a lot of energy this afternoon.” He dropped a kiss on my head before joining me. We ate slowly, feeding each other a bite here and there while we talked about the weekend coming up. The boys were coming over for a barbeque now that I was feeling better and I was coaxing Ezra into agreeing to a ride up to the upper pasture.

He agreed if I was feeling completely healed in two days. I was elated and I finished off my steak with relish before looking expectantly at him. He looked innocently back while I began to pout. “No dessert?”

“Dessert - why I thought you’d be full, Christopher.” He gathered the dishes onto the tray and lifted it with a smile. “I’ll look in the cookie jar and see if there are any cookies left. Perhaps we should bake tomorrow?”

I sat back and pulled the covers up, feeling a little ashamed since I was the one who’d been taking up so much of his time and energy. I’d have to think of something really nice to say thank you for putting up with me. Snuggling down into the sheets that smelled so strongly of our lovemaking, I thought about what might happen next in the fairy tale.

He came back in with a large bowl of ice cream. “The cookie jar is bare, Chris so we really must bake before the others visit. I trust a little mint chocolate chip will suffice for now.”

“If you share it with me, Ezra,” I smiled at him and held the covers up so he could slide in. “Love you.”

“I love you too, Chris.” He kissed me gently before slipping a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. “Now, I believe we had last sent the merchant down for a nap.”]

The merchant awoke to soft hands stroking his chest and a mouth kissing him awake. It didn’t taste like anyone he’d kissed here so he opened his eyes to find the cook grinning down at him. “You need to wake up for lunch. Nathan says you used up a lot of energy this morning.”

Chris blushed again but let Buck help him up and into his clothes, which had been cleaned from his morning in the stables. Tender touches and gentle kisses accompanied Buck’s help and the merchant wondered if he’d ever again be able to get dressed unaided. With a lingering caress to the buttons of his pant’s placket, Buck winked at him then led him down stairs to the kitchen again.

The merchant was disappointed when he didn’t see Lord Standish there. But lunch was delicious and the conversation around the table among the four servants of the missing lord was lively. JD was bouncing in his seat in enthusiasm about a new horse that had just arrived from a sale in the capitol. He was still rather wild but Nathan nodded and said Lord Standish would soon gentle him to the saddle.

That was said with a rather heated look at the merchant who promptly blushed and felt himself begin to harden again. Buck teased the young stable boy about his riding skills and it was JD’s turn to blush and look longingly at the big man who took every chance he had to touch the lad.

The butler came in with the same silver tray he’d had earlier. “Sir, the master asks you to please join him in the ballroom after the parson leaves from his unexpected visit.” Josiah rolled his eyes and the others moaned. “Perhaps you could stroll the gardens for a while and I’ll come and get you when the master is free.”

Buck winked at him while Nathan grinned and the merchant just nodded. It was Vin’s turn to do the dishes and he talked Josiah into helping him with a soft kiss and a promise of anything else he wanted. The merchant had a sudden vision of naked dish   
washing with Vin spitted on his lover’s thick cock and he had to shake his head free of the inspiring vision.

Nathan’s warm hand on the small of his back urged him out the kitchen door and into the sweet smelling herb garden. Buck and JD walked behind them and they all told him of the plantings from around the world their master had sought after and replanted here on the estate. Ahead of them rose the high walls of a yew maze. Nathan led the merchant deep into the shady greenery, twisting and turning until they reached the heart of the maze and the large blanket laid out on the soft grass.

Chris turned to see Buck carrying a laughing JD over to the blanket and his heart began to beat faster when Nathan’s big hands began to undress him. Turning in the loose embrace, he determinedly began to unbutton the blacksmith’s shirt, to aid in his own seduction.

“I brought the case of dildos,” the large man whispered in his ear before biting the lobe gently. Chris shuddered all the way down to his boots but nodded yes to the unasked question of whether he wanted to experiment some more with the artificial penises. “We’ll go slow, Sir. None of us want to hurt you.”

Chris was shirtless and so was Nathan by this point when the merchant stilled a moment. “Does that include your master? Does he . . . partake of these pleasures?”

Nathan smiled gently and finished sliding the pants off the merchant’s slender hips. “He does, Sir but very rarely. He enjoyed your talk last night and he was impatient to see you again but he’s a very disciplined man who always takes care of business before pleasure. The parson coming will no doubt spark his temper so I’d be careful during the sword match. No one is better with his sword than the master but accidents can happen so be conservative with your strokes.”

The merchant was shuddering under the now familiar strokes of callused hands but he used shaking hands to finish undressing the blacksmith. “I will be careful but oh please, may I touch your magnificent organ?”

Nathan chuckled and drew him down onto the blanket. “Please do, Sir. Move here so I can stroke your pretty cock at the same time.”

Chris moved quickly to the blacksmith’s side while measuring the dark organ in his hands. Behind him, a slick finger slid down his crease to tease the little hole hidden between his cheeks and he cast a quick look at JD who was on all fours while Buck tasted his depths with his tongue. Then one thick finger was sliding into him and he gasped, holding hard onto the shaft in his hands.

“Oh that feels good, Sir. Move up and down a little like you do with yourself.” Nathan smiled up at him and began the in and out motion that sparked Chris’ gland and made him want more.

“I’ve never pleasured myself that way before.” He admitted ruefully. “I wasn’t aware a man could do that.”

“Good lord, that’s a crime and a sin a beautiful man like yourself doesn’t know how to make himself feel good.” Buck’s astonished voice brought his head around again to meet two pairs of eyes. “Shift over, JD and show him what we’ve taught you so far.”

The stable boy rolled onto his back and peeled his foreskin all the way back before licking his hand and bringing it down to stroke along the length of his shaft. “Wet feels good but so does slick stuff.”

Buck poured some lotion onto his hands then reached around to transfer some to the merchant’s hands. “Now move up and down Nathan’s cock. Feel the difference?”

Chris definitely felt a difference and so did Nathan if his groan was any indication. The finger inside of him retreated and he almost groaned but then Buck was handing Nathan an ivory dildo and it was bigger than the one he’d taken that morning. It was about the same size as JD’s shaft and he nodded when Nathan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. But then the blacksmith was oiling it with the slippery salve and the merchant thought he’d have trouble breathing. Buck was back to stretching his lover while JD’s head thrashed back and forth with the sensation.

The merchant was holding on with both hands while Nathan tenderly eased two fingers into him. It burned and for the first time since he’d arrived, he felt a touch of pain to go along with his pleasure. But he was determined to learn this so he persevered and finally felt the ache begin to subside. Nathan must have been watching for that because he twisted and turned his fingers until he found the gland and sparked it to life.

Moaning, Chris squeezed hard around Nathan’s shaft while the dark man chuckled and did it again. A few more moments then the blacksmith sat up and coaxed Chris to lay across his lap. Removing his fingers, he rocked the head of the dildo against the tight muscle until Chris relaxed enough for it to push in. It seemed to slide forever until it finally came to a stop.

The merchant was gasping at the extreme fullness but Nathan slowly twisted it in and out until all he felt was warmth instead of pain. “Watch now, Sir. It’s JD’s time.”

They watched while JD writhed on the blanket, pleading with Buck to come inside of him. The cook slowly removed his fingers from the tight hole and pulled the young man up to kiss him slowly but with passion. The merchant felt hot all over just watching the two men who felt so strongly about each other. Then JD was coaxed onto his side while Buck spooned up against him, sliding one of his leg between the young man’s.

“Breathe out, darlin’ when I push in.” Buck set the crown of his cock against the small hole and pushed in with a single deep thrust. “That’s it, love, take all of him. Breathe, love. That’s right, JD, oh you feel so good.”

“Buck,” the young man panted out the name and pulled the strong arms tighter around him. “You’re inside of me.” The surprise and delight were quickly followed by tears and the cook rocked him tenderly while crooning his name.

The merchant sighed and wondered if he’d ever find that kind of loving connection in his life. But warm hands were smoothing gentle touches over his back and buttocks, and each time the dildo was pressed in, he felt hot fire flash through him. His cock was being rubbed against a heavily muscled leg and he squirmed a little at the good sensation. Nathan seemed able to read his mind and he urged him onto his back so he could suck on his cock while he kept pushing the dildo in to spark his gland.

Chris tried to keep a hold of the cock in front of him but as his climax took him, he let go and came. Nathan licked him clean, gently removed the dildo and paid him a compliment. “You taste real good, Sir. I can see why Josiah was bragging about you. You just rest now while I help ol’ Buck out.”

The merchant watched wide eyed while the tall man crawled over to the pair resting still connected. At some point JD must have come because his cock lay satiated on his thigh while Buck must have still been hard inside of him. Nathan kissed JD thoroughly and then tickled the young man into laughing. Buck joined in and Chris watched the three of them play.

This time, Buck went onto all fours over his young lover so they could kiss while Nathan stretched the cook. Chris rolled over and took some of the lotion in his hands so he could oil the enormous cock for him. Nathan smiled at him and said his ‘thank you’s’ before setting the huge crown to the impossibly small hole and pushing in. He paused at that point while Buck groaned and his whole back shivered.

“Damn, Nathan, are you growing on us?” Buck moaned and twitched while Nathan chuckled and pulled the slender hips back until his whole cock had been eaten up by the hungry hole. “Oh god, it feels like you just shoved your whole arm up there. Move, damn it.”

Chris watched the slow pull out then the rapid thrust back in until Buck was shuddering under the pounding rhythm. His hands were oily so he began stroking himself in time to the vision in front of him. All too soon, he came again, releasing into his hand with a sigh at almost the same moment Nathan thrust deep and shouted in his own release. Buck must have come hard but JD was there to suck it all down.

Everyone collapsed onto the blanket, exhausted for the moment. JD was the first to recover and he pulled open the picnic basket placed just off the blanket. Inside was a bowl of warm water and a cloth. First he cleaned Chris’ hands although he licked his groin clean with his tongue and a bright smile. Then he tenderly wiped Buck down and helped him pull off the still fairly hard cock of the blacksmith. They both cleaned up their friend before settling down on either side of him for a nap.

The merchant thought about the last two days and wondered if he’d ever find such wonderful help-meets in the whole kingdom. He knew he had to return home but he found he didn’t want to leave the tender care of these men who’d taught him so much about his own body and the pleasure to be had from it. A whisper of sound from the path brought his eyes up in time to meet the dark green eyes of Lord Standish.

He sat up and pulled his shirt over his exposed manhood while blushing so hard he was afraid he’d burst a blood vessel. “My-my lord.”

“Excellent, they’ve been taking good care of you, Master Larabee.” The dark lord settled himself on the bench near the blanket. “Why don’t you dress and then I’ll take you back to the manor for our sword match. I have been looking forward to it all day.”

The merchant was still blushing while he hastily dressed, trying hard not to show any of his private bits but realizing he’d failed when the lord’s eyebrow slowly lifted and a lazy smile blossomed on his handsome face. “I see not all of your ass . . . sets have been lost overseas, Sir. I find myself anticipating our match with . . . passion.”

Chris was sweating already and he hadn’t even lifted his sword. He felt as clumsy as a new born colt but already his cock was lifting in anticipation of what he would learn from Lord Standish. They walked back to the manor in silence then the lord showed him the ballroom and Josiah handed them each their swords. They saluted each other with their blades and the match was on.

The merchant was skillful but he soon realized Lord Standish was a true master of the blade and he was just holding back so as not to hurt him. Chris conceded the match but asked about a certain thrust. Lord Standish showed him slowly then engaged him again until he had it memorized. Then he showed him another and yet another until the setting sun cast blood-red shadows across the polished floor of the ballroom.

Their eyes met and Chris felt such a yearning for his host he was hard put to keep from throwing himself at his feet and begging him to take him. But the lord smiled and told him to get cleaned up for dinner. He promised a cozy meal for two in the study and Chris practically ran up the stairs to his room to get ready. Vin was already there and he had a bath ready for him with scented water and then another massage with a sweet smelling oil that he massaged onto every part of his body.

He even whispered that he wanted him to be prepared for any eventuality and bent him over the chair so he could stroke oil deep into his channel. Chris was hard and panting by the time he was done and he watched with curious eyes while Vin stroked him before snapping an odd leather harness around his cock and balls. 

“There, you won’t be able to come until Lord Standish wants you to.” He winked at him while Chris’ mouth went dry with longing. “You’re very lucky, Sir. The master doesn’t often indulge himself with our guests. We’ve all told him how very good you taste.”

The merchant blushed again and wondered if he’d ever stop. But then Vin was helping him into a shimmering long robe of some kind of golden material with golden sandals for his feet. The wine steward whispered that the master liked having his prey easily revealed. Chris wondered at his choice of words but decided it must be a slip of the tongue and simply followed Vin down the stairs and into the study where a small table was set up between the two wing chairs.

Lord Standish was already there, dressed in an identical robe except his was silver. His approving look at the merchant made Chris’ stomach tremble but also it warmed his spirit. Their conversation turned to travel and distant lands. The lord had journeyed far beyond the merchant’s knowledge of the world and he listened to the tales spun by his host with bated breath.

Dinner was delicious but he was never quite sure afterwards just what they had eaten. The cognac burned its way down to his nervous stomach but when he would have drunk more, Lord Standish stayed his hand and set both the glasses to one side. “Enough for the moment, my dear man. There is something else I wish to taste.”

Chris blushed instantly but he was already bending to the inviting lips so near his own. Lord Standish, like all his other talents, was an excellent kisser. Demanding but tender, his lips nuzzled, bit and took Chris’ mouth with passion. His tongue rubbed against the merchant’s until he could no longer tell which was his and which his plunderer’s. They tasted good together and Chris found himself flat on his back on the thick carpet while his robe was opened and his body revealed.

“Beautiful, simply beautiful.” An elegant hand traced down his chest to the close held cock and then his mouth was sucking gently at the weeping crown. Chris couldn’t move only moan and pant and whisper how much he wanted the lord to take what was his. “Soon, my dear, I shall get to that. But first I must see if you are as tasty as the men say you are.”

Unsnapping the harness, he quickly deep throated Chris’ shaft while his clever fingers rolled the tender balls. Hips snapped up and the merchant came in long spurts as if he’d never come before. He shuddered all over and relaxed in a small puddle of contented flesh, sprawled on his robe before the lord like a sated pleasure slave. Lord Standish chuckled and unfastened his robe, letting it drop behind him although a fold still held his genitals from view.

“Now before we go further, I must confess something to you. What you have shared with me so far has been magnificent and more than any good host should desire. But if we are to continue, you need to know something about me and the . . . medical condition which haunts my family line.” His eyes turned inward and somehow sad.

Chris sat up and clasped both of the strong hands in his. “Josiah mentioned something about it, my lord. Please do not tell me if it distresses you so. I am content with anything you will share with me. I do yearn for more however.” He blushed but kept eye contact. “I have watched the others share their bodies completely and oh, I want you to take me that way.”

Lord Standish brought both of their hands up to his lips and nestled a kiss on each of Chris’ fingers. The merchant shivered at the feel of hot breath on just his digits. “I am glad to hear that because it is my fondest wish, too. However, I can not in clear conscious take this precious gift until you know everything about me.”

His green eyes looked over at the clock and he hissed in sudden tension. “We don’t have much time, Chris. The males in the Standish family all inherit a certain trait that only comes to fruition when we come of age. I am the last of the Standish’s and that is probably a blessing. I will have no son to pass my nature onto. It is the result of a witch’s curse almost three centuries ago and therefore is pure magic.”

Chris listened hard but he couldn’t help wondering if the lord’s mind was wandering.

“Every night at the stroke of ten, I change into a fell beast. The curse lasts until dawn when I finally change back to my human form and sleep for a few hours.” A small wrinkle appeared between his eyes but Chris just tightened his hands around his host’s and made an encouraging sound for him to continue. “I roam the estate normally and sometimes Josiah or Nathan sit up with me. I have been known to kill small creatures when I ‘hunt’ but I have never harmed a human so you’re in no danger from me.”

Chris grappled with the amazing confession but with only five minutes until 10, he knew he needed to say something. “My lord, I am not shocked but rather proud that you could tell me your secret. It truly does not matter to me. I’m sure your wonderful intelligence and good nature remains with you no matter what form you take. You could never be a fell beast to me.”

Lord Standish slowly smiled and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. Chris returned the kiss with all his heart and felt the lord begin to smile. But then the clock began to strike ten and he pulled away, dropping the robe completely and standing up to move a little a ways from the seated merchant. At the last stroke of ten, his body blurred and twisted until Chris couldn’t see exactly what was happening.

But within a moment, a giant cat stood where the dark lord had. A blank panther, sleek and lean with the most amazing green eyes the merchant had ever seen. It shook itself all over then leisurely sat down to lick first one paw than the other. Chris was almost afraid to move, hoping the lord was still in control of the cat. But eventually he had to take a deep breath and that movement brought sharp eyes back to him.

The panther got up and stalked over to the seated man, his muzzle coming close to sniff delicately over the fair skin. He must have approved of the taste because suddenly Chris was being tongue washed from his face down to his legs. He was laughing and twitching at each erotic lick of rough tongue. Slowly, he brought up his hands to touch the giant cat and the animal let him pet between his ears with a blissed out look on his beautiful face.

Suddenly the great furry head butted him back onto the floor and Chris lay there wondering what he’d done. A noise at the door brought his eyes up to see Josiah standing there. “Oh good, the change went well. Just relax and let him sniff and tongue you until he’s memorized your scent and taste. It’s still him inside of the cat so try not to fear the claws and fangs. He won’t hurt you. Have a good night, Sir.”

And he shut the door behind him, leaving Chris to the mercies of the beast.

***********************************


	12. Beauty and the Beast, part four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fractured fairy tale. If a panther making love to a human squicks you, pass this chapter by.

********* Chris ********* 

[I wake up at dawn completely covered by Ezra. His head is tucked under my chin, his arms tight around me, his legs entangled with mine. He’s a quiet sleeper unlike I used to be. I used to be all over the bed, tossing and turning, waking up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water. Oddly enough, although I worried whether we’d be able to sleep together, it had never come up.

It seems my subconscious wanted my mate by my side to ensure it was safe to sleep. The first few nights, we’d wake each other up and make love then drop back into slumber. That insatiable need was muted now. These days when we wake up together, we share a sleepy kiss then go right back to snoring. Actually, Ezra doesn’t snore unless he’s absolutely exhausted and feeling safe.

I learned that shortly after we started spending more time together. After a brutal undercover assignment, he’d almost collapsed in the conference room. Josiah had caught him, swung him up in his arms and carried him to my office and the couch there. He told me briskly to cover him up and we’d take turns watching over him. I’d been a bit jealous that he’d gotten to him first.

Josiah patted my shoulder and assured me I would learn Ezra-body-language if I just concentrated hard enough. That day was a revelation to me. I watched him sleep so heavily, he didn’t even hear Vin tap and come in to report on the state of the mop-up or Buck bringing me in a doggy bag for lunch. The little snore every now and then would startle me and I’d look up from the never-ending paperwork to watch him for a while.

“What in the world are you grinning at?” His sleepy voice and the little lick told me I was busted. “Good heavens, I’m wrapped around you like a clinging vine. This must be uncomfortable, Chris.”

I kept hold of him but let him roll us to our sides. “Nah, Ezra, I like feeling all of you against all of me. I was just remembering the Atkins case and the first time I heard you snore. It was just so cute.”

His affronted look was priceless but before he could tell me he was *not* cute, I kissed him. He always gives our kisses his complete attention and I love his single-minded need to consume me. Once we pulled apart, I gave him my best puppy-dog look. “More story, Ezra? You left me at a real anxious spot.”

He chuckled. “Just a short piece since we need to get up and finish getting ready for our friends. Now, let’s see, Lord Standish had just transformed into a cat and Josiah had left them alone for the night.”]

The merchant lay flat and still while the big cat sniffed him from head to toe. Some places rated a lick from the raspy tongue and his feet were tickled with whiskers until he had to laugh out loud. The sound startled the cat but then he gave a feline version of a grin and licked both of the high-arches to free even more laughter. But then he licked his way back up to the groin area and the merchant stilled completely.

A wet nose ghosted over the vulnerable privates followed by a small lick to his inner thighs and the merchant shuddered all over, involuntarily spreading his legs further apart. The cat settled down between them, his giant paws on both hips but with his claws still sheathed. The merchant raised himself on his elbows so he could watch the cat sniff his rising cock.

He was both fascinated by the huge creature and still a little worried that Lord Standish might not have complete control over the cat’s instincts. But when the broad pink tongue emerged from between the long canines, he held his breath before letting it out in a long shuddering groan. Rough but not too rough, the wet tongue washed his cock from root to tip then wrapped around it and tugged just enough to make his hips come off the floor.

“So good, you feel so good around me,” he panted and forced his eyes open again in time to watch the green-eyed cat do it again. This time he shivered at the twinkle in the gaze looking back at him. Several licks and tugs later, the merchant thrust up and spattered the cat’s face with his release. Lying limp on his robe, he watched with lazy eyes while the creature licked him clean then rose to move forward until he covered his torso completely.

And that’s when he realized the cat was as long as he was, even longer when you counted the tail swishing lazily back and forth. The tongue was back to tasting his throat, shoulders and upper chest while he hesitantly brought his hands up to pet the soft black fur of his head and neck. The cat liked that and a rusty purr rumbled through his deep chest while his paws kneaded the merchant’s shoulders, almost but not quite pricking him with his claws.

“You’re beautiful, my lord. In either form, you’re absolutely beautiful.” The merchant petted the upright ears, releasing another series of purrs. “What else can I do to give you back some of the pleasure I’ve received on my visit? I love the way you teach me new things and I want more lessons in lovemaking, if I may be so bold.”

“Rrow-ow,” the cat lord replied with a gleam in his eyes that made Chris begin to tingle. Then he gracefully arose and nudged the merchant to look downward. Slowly from between his hind legs, something began to appear, sliding forward out of a black sheath to emerge into the firelight.

The merchant’s throat went dry and he looked his fill at the furry appendage that glistened in the light. It was long with a sleek head and didn’t appear to be much thicker than the dildo he’d taken that afternoon. The glistening seemed to be some kind of oil and he wondered if all cats were self-lubricating or if it was part of the witch’s curse. A hesitant paw nudged him and he looked up into questioning green eyes.

“You want to . . . put that, um,” he wondered what you called a cat’s shaft. “Ah, your cock inside of me? Will it fit?”

The cat smiled at him again and his head nodded. So the merchant said a quick prayer and rolled over onto his stomach. But before he could go onto all fours, the cat purred and began the sniff-and-lick ritual from his neck along his spine, over his buttocks, and down his legs to the sensitive flesh of his feet. Then he licked his way back up and head butted the merchant’s behind until he came up onto knees and hands.

Then that wide rough tongue washed him from the base of his spine down to his balls and back up again. Somehow, he even rolled it and pushed inside the tight muscle until Chris was moaning continuously and pushing back for more. But then it was gone and he felt the cat cover him like a blanket, something wet and hard poking into his stretched hole until with a single thrust from powerful hips, he was impaled on a furry cock.

The cat lord paused then and licked the beads of sweat off Chris’ neck. A questioning, ‘mrow-w’ brought the merchant’s head up to answer. “I’m all right. You’re just bigger than I thought. The fur tickles a little but it doesn’t really hurt. I feel so . . . full.”

The cat purred and flexed his claws again on his shoulders before moving his hips out then back in again. The merchant shuddered all over when it hit his gland and he had to take a deep breath to keep from shouting out how good it felt. The cat seemed to want to hear him, licking and letting him feel his fangs but never piercing his skin.

“So good . . . you feel big . . . and warm . . . beautifully warm . . . oh there, hit there again.” He panted through the heat and pushed back a little while the cat thrust forward. “That’s good . . . I like feeling your fur inside of me and outside, too. More, my lord, take me hard . . . harder . . . oh yes.” 

Then he felt a slight change in the shaft filling him. It began to swell larger within him. He moaned and panted some more while it widened until it had stretched him so wide he ached. Harsh breathing kept him conscious and the lord didn’t move again until he’d relaxed a little. Soft purring seemed to hold a note of contrition and he finally tried a flex around the cock that now felt so gigantic.

“It’s . . . all right. You’re not hurting me. It feels like . . .” his mind flashed back to the afternoon while he watched Nathan take Buck. “It feels like you’ve got your whole arm inside of me.” He thought about it while the cat purred and licked his ear. “I like it. You feel really, really right inside of me. You’re staking a claim to me, aren’t you?”

The big cat purred his approval and moved an inch out then back in. The merchant groaned and pushed back for more, thinking to himself that he wanted him to claim him, mark him and never let him go. The cat’s stamina was impressive and the fire was dying down before he felt a new urgency in the thrusts. He felt like he’d been on his knees forever but he was willing to stay like this until the end of time if the cat lord would only let him.

Suddenly, one of the paws left his shoulder and swiped under him, the fur grazing his swollen cock with just a hint of claws and that was all it took to make him spend his seed onto his robe while the cat threw back his head and howled triumphantly. Then the merchant fell forward with the lord still buried deep within him. 

The hot seed spread through him, making him feel warm and cherished. He wondered if his wife had felt like this when they made love before her death. He liked the feeling of being possessed by someone and wondered what the lord thought about him. He’d sounded resigned to not having children but he smiled to himself and thought about what the lord’s kittens would look like if he ever had any. They dozed like that for an hour before he felt the furry cock begin to shrink and finally leave him.

He moaned a little at the empty feeling left inside of him. The cat bathed him with his tongue, making him twitch and almost come to life again. But he was finished for the night and when he rolled over, the cat affectionately washed his face before cleaning up his front. Delicately taking one of his wrists between his powerful jaws, he tugged and the merchant obeyed the silent summons to get up. 

The robe was ruined but he wasn’t cold so he left it there and followed the cat out of the study and up the stairs to his room. The merchant crawled into bed and held up the blanket, inviting the cat in with him. He did so and they curled up for the night, Chris’ hands buried in the thick fur and nose-to-nose with his lord. Briefly he wondered what the morrow would hold for him.

Perhaps once the lord changed back into his human form, he’d take Chris again with the human shaft he’d glimpsed right before the change. Snuggling a little closer, he went to sleep to dream of being taken again and again by his black panther. Sometime in the night, he awoke to find himself impaled on the furry cock again while savage fangs delicately bit between his neck and shoulder.

If anything, that small pain enhanced the possession of the big cat and Chris came again without his own shaft even being touched except by the bed clothes. When dawn arrived, he watched the panther begin to blur and twist again. This time it happened a little more slowly so he saw bits of both the man and the cat during the transformation. They were both beautiful and he watched with his heart in his eyes while Lord Standish stretched all over and opened his eyes.

“Good morrow, my lord, thank you for sharing yourself with me last night.” The merchant wanted him to know everything was fine right away.

“Good morrow, Master Larabee.” He rose up on one elbow and gazed into hazel eyes. “Thank you for accepting the were-cat. You are the first in a very long time.” His hand came up to touch the skin where the cat had bitten the merchant. “Does it hurt? I’m sorry I marked you. I’ve never felt the need to do that before.”

“It doesn’t hurt, my lord. Nothing you do could possibly hurt me . . .” he swallowed hard. “Unless . . . you send me away and never see me again.”

Green eyes flashed fire and the lord caught his chin so he could look into the merchant’s eyes. “Never, I shall never send you away.” His kiss was almost brutal but it soon gentled and filled the merchant with hope. “But we must plan for the future for there are your daughters to consider. I believe I shall make you my business manager and your girls will find husbands in Port Royal. I rarely leave the estates so you will join my eyes and ears in the community to report back to me the news of the day.”

“Yes, my lord, oh yes, I’d love to do that.” Chris kissed him again and again while the dark lord chuckled and returned each one with fervor. 

A knock on the bedroom door brought an end to their kisses and Lord Standish called for Josiah to enter. The butler entered with a broad smile, a cheery good morning and a tray filled with breakfast. He laid it between them and gave the merchant a searching look before grinning at him. “I see the master took good care of you last night, Sir. You’ll not be needing our lessons anymore.”

The merchant blushed deep red and shook his head, mute with happiness. Lord Standish gazed rather possessively at him and fed him a bite of waffle, dripping in syrup. The butler waited while the lord gave him a flurry of orders, the most important one being the need to bring in the parson’s wife to travel to the village a day’s journey from the estates where she would gather the merchant’s daughters and their belongings to bring back to the select parsonage school.

Josiah nodded. “Aye, we can do that, my lord. Vin and I will take the carriage and the wagon for their belongings. What shall they do with the house and furniture?”

“My dear Chris, what would you like done with them? They share much history with your family and some pieces are undoubtedly dear to you and your children.” Lord Standish asked him kindly.

“The vicar of our parish lives in a small room in the back of the church. I will write a letter gifting the house and furniture to the parish for use by the vicar. He is a young man and will probably soon marry.” The merchant smiled at his lord. “It’s good place to raise a family. The girls can chose those pieces with sentimental value for themselves.”

“Excellent idea, Chris. Josiah, when we get up and dressed we’ll meet you in the study to make our plans. Please bring my clothes in here so we can save a little time.” Lord Standish smiled and dismissed the butler who left with a cheery wink. “Now, kiss me again so we can finish our breakfast and start our day.”

The merchant did so gladly but all too soon they were up, dressed and headed for the study. Within two hours, letters had been written and plans finalized. Mistress Abigail, the parson’s wife, had listened to the merchant’s tale (suitably cleaned up of course) and volunteered good-heartedly to go and fetch the ‘darling girls’. She said they would be a welcome addition to their school and Master Larabee wasn’t to worry himself anymore about their safety and well-being.

Once she was gone to pack for the journey, Chris finished his letter to his eldest daughter and sealed it with Lord Standish’s seal. A giant cat’s paw was the impression left in the red wax and the merchant chuckled when he saw it. A warm hand stroked the back of his neck and he arched up into his lord’s caress, wishing he could purr like the big cat had the night before.

“I believe I would like to walk in the gardens for a while.” He whispered into the merchant’s ear. “Buck can bring us lunch in the heart of the maze.”

“Oh yes, my lord, I’d like that very much.” Chris leaned against the broad chest behind him. “Will you take me there in this form?”

“If you wish, my dear, I believe I’d like you to use my Christian name.” He leaned in even closer and whispered into his ear. “Ezra – call me by that name from now on.”

“Ezra,” Chris said in wonder, turning to look deep into sparkling green eyes. “Ezra.”

The eyes went hooded and the full lips parted before leaning down to ravish his. They were both panting by the time they had to breathe and Chris wanted to strip out of his clothes and be taken right on the hearth rug as he’d been taken the night before by the were-cat.

“The maze now,” Lord Standish said with the little growl Chris had heard before. The man pulled him down the lower halls, through the kitchen where he gave Buck their lunch order, picked up a bottle of oil from the counter, then dragged him across the lawn to the maze. Chris was almost dizzy by the time they reached the heart but then all the haste left the lord and he pulled him down onto another blanket spread out invitingly on the soft grass.

They kissed over and over while undressing each other with warm hands and many caresses. For the first time, Chris beheld his lord’s cock in the light of day and he bit his lip to keep back the moan of desire. He was long and thick and nothing like the panther’s shaft except perhaps for his girth after he’d grown inside of him. Lord – rather Ezra took his time stretching him with elegant fingers and much oil before positioning him in the same position Buck had laid JD in and pressing inside.

Chris cried out with wonder and pain but Ezra stilled and hugged him close, petting his stomach with gentle hands until the merchant had finally relaxed. Slowly but surely, he pierced the body before him until he could go no further. His voice murmured tender praise of his heat and tightness. His lips kissed his neck in the same pattern the cat had licked in the night.

“Take me, my Ezra. Make me yours by daylight as the cat made me his last night.” Chris picked up one of the hands and kissed each finger tenderly. “Mark me so everyone will know I belong to you.”

The little growl was all the warning he got before his lord took him at his word and possessed him with fire and need. It was everything and more than he’d requested and he just knew he wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week. Chris took each thrust and pushed back for more. This time when his lord came, he bit down hard and it was Chris’ turn to howl his pleasure into the air.

[That was hotter than hot but what was even better was being buried inside of Ezra while he kept on telling the story. Somehow the very thought of being mounted by a giant cat hit several of my kinkier buttons and he’d noticed. So he’d smoothed lotion over me and took me in while riding me from above.

I love this position because I can stroke his beautiful cock while he uses his powerful thigh muscles to ride up and down on me. How he kept telling the story, I’ll never know but he’s got that whole multi-tasking thing down to a science. 

“Perhaps I should have some fur gloves made for our play time,” he said before flexing his inner muscles around me.

I thought that was a great idea and wiggled my eyebrows at him while leering. “Yeah, we could take turns being the cat.”

He chuckled and slid his hands up to my nipples to play with them. “Indeed, perhaps we should investigate a velvet sheath for one of our dildos so we can experience fur both within and without.”

“Woah, that would be,” I tried to imagine it. “That would be really kinky but I think we should try.”

He laughed out loud and tweaked my nipples affectionately. “It’s not kinky if we both enjoy it, my love. I shall research the possibilities next week.”

Then we left off talking while taking our time to make love the way only we can. Held safe and sure inside of Ezra is right where I love to be. After we cleaned up, he started making breakfast while I called in the horses from the lower pasture to the corral so they’d be ready for the boys. I was breathing just fine now and hadn’t coughed all night so I was thankfully over the cold.

Being sick while someone you love takes care of you wasn’t something I was used to but damned if I couldn’t get to like it. I’d remember all the things he’d done for me in case I ever needed to return the favor. Frowning, I petted Pecos and thought about Ezra getting sick. I didn’t like to even think of that happening so I decided to talk to Nate about what we could do to stay healthy.

He’d kid me about it but I could take the teasing if it meant never seeing Ezra lying still and pale in our bed. Shivering, I shook off the bad picture and replaced it with one of him laughing while I tickled him. That was better and I patted Pecos goodbye before going into the barn to check the tack. But the rails where we kept all our saddles reminded me of Nathan and JD from the fairy tale and my cock began to swell and press against the zipper of my jeans.

I hadn’t been this randy since . . . I stopped and thought. I’d never been this randy in my entire life. Grinning, I headed back inside. Ezra had a lot to answer for and I thanked God for him every day. He was humming at the stove while he flipped a golden pancake. I hugged him from behind and kissed that little spot under his left ear that’s so sensitive.

He chuckled and turned his head just enough so we could kiss. The slamming of a truck door brought us apart while he shook his head. “From 20 miles away, Vin can tell when breakfast is almost ready.”

I laughed and went out to greet our guests. 

**************************************


	13. Beauty and the Beast, part five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happily ever-after with a twist.

********* Chris ********* 

[The ride went well and it felt great to be out in the fresh air. We meandered where ever we wanted and raced each other on the mountain road where it was safe to do so. Vin was declared champion for the tricky little maneuver Rider pulled by jumping the fallen tree and careening for the gate in the fence. He’s a real show-off, that roan is, but he’s smart too and Vin was thinking of breeding him with Buck’s mare, Miss Daisy.

Their bloodlines were good and I thought it would be a good match. Funny, but since I became part of a couple again, I had the oddest urge to matchmake for our friends. The breeder from whom we’d bought some of our newest stock seemed like a good guy with a strong interest in law. I was thinking of inviting Mary Travis out to one of our barbecues and introducing them.

Ezra just laughs when I say that but he agreed there might be a suitable match in the making. When we got back to the ranch, half of us took care of the horses while the other half started cooking. The steaks had been marinating all the time we were on the trail but Nathan and Ezra had the vegetables to prepare while Buck started the grill up for the meat. 

JD had brought some of his cousin’s Texas barbecue sauce and I was already licking my lips in anticipation of its hot, hot tang. I’ll never tell Ezra this but someday, I’m going to smear it all over his body and take my time licking it off. And just like that, I was hard and aching for him. I eased my cock to a more comfortable position then stuck my tongue out at Vin who was laughing at me.

Dinner was delicious and we sat on the back porch in a variety of wicker and wooden chairs afterwards. It had been a good day and not even Buck’s fervent thanks to Ezra for taming the ‘sick-Chris-bear’ could make it any less nice. We made plans to get together on Tuesday for another training session with our new horses. Talking business reminded me that Ezra was probably behind in his own work after taking such good care of me while I was sick. I had to remember to give him some extra space if he needed it.

The party broke up about seven and I made sure the horses were all right while Ezra puttered in the kitchen, cleaning an already spotless counter and table. The guys know better than to leave a mess, no matter where we meet. The lights were out when I locked the door behind me and took off my boots on the mat. Padding down the hall, I heard the water running and knew I’d soon have a wet Ezra all to myself.

I was going to miss our nightly fairy tale, I thought with a pang. “Ezra, is there more to the story than what you’ve told me so far?”

He looked up from the tub where he was already soaking. “There can be, my love. I had an interesting thought while we were riding today. It would make a very erotic addition to the tale.”

I liked the sound of that and hurriedly stripped out of my clothes so I could join him.]

Every night the great cat stalked his prey and soon Chris took to just undressing at ten so he’d be naked and ready for the cat lord. They sometimes played a game of hide and seek all over the estate where Chris would hide then Ezra would sniff him out and reward him with a tongue bath that always led to making love. The furry cock would slide easily into his well-prepared hole and they’d make love until one or both of them would howl in ecstasy.

Chris was completely happy in every respect. He saw his daughters every few days at the parsonage. They were healthy and happy. The oldest daughter, Elizabeth, fell in love with one of the naval officers who sailed out of Port Royal and six months after the merchant became Lord Standish’s business manager, a beautiful wedding was held in the gardens of the estate.

Buck cooked up a wedding feast that had all the neighbors praising his talents. The party went until early evening before everyone left full of good cheer and chocolate cake. The study had been locked up tight to keep party goers out of the lord’s private affairs and Chris found him there sipping cognac before a roaring fire. He crossed the room and kissed him gently.

“It was beautiful, my lord. Thank you for your generous heart.” He sat at his lord’s feet and laid his head on the velvet-covered knee.

“I like making you happy, my sweet one.” Lord Standish caressed his cheek with one finger. “The girls are delightful and it is no bother to give them such a gift.”

They sat in contented silence until Buck brought in their dinner tray. After all the sweets of the feast, they dined on hearty soup and fresh baked bread spread with delicious newly churned butter. When they were done, Chris took their tray back to the kitchen and told his friends goodnight before returning to his lord.

He was undressed and basking in front of the fire so Chris made haste to join him. Letting his clothes fall where they may, he stalked his lord on hands and knees until they were nose to nose with him straddling the sturdy body of his love. They kissed tenderly then began to caress each other until Ezra had him ride him into release. They lay there sated and content until ten struck then Chris watched him change.

The were-cat was as much his lover as his lord and he loved it when the panther took him. He was already slick and open from his first mating so the cat took him over the footstool while Chris pushed back to get more of him inside of him. When he stilled, the cock began to grow until he writhed under the pressure. The cat lord growled at him and he felt the sharp prick of his fangs on his neck.

The pressure grew past anything he’d ever felt before and he panted through the pain until finally it stopped. He had nothing to compare this to and the little growls from his cat sounded different than any other sound he’d made. Chris was afraid to move for fear of setting him off again. But gradually, the fangs lessened and a rough tongue washed the punctures with a soft purr.

“My lord, is everything all right?” He turned his head to look into green eyes and for the first time saw the beast inside the man inside the beast. “It’s never been so . . . large before. Do you feel all right?”

The great head nodded and the hips rocked in then out while Chris gasped and dropped his head, the strain of the awkward twist too much for his neck. He felt the furry cock slowly sliding in and out while muscles unused to such a girth twinged and complained. But the fire was back too and all too soon, his cock sprayed its release all over the needle-point footstool.

But the cat lord didn’t come and he kept on fucking Chris until the manager’s cock hardened for a second time and shot forth again. Only after his third climax when he was sore and aching did the great cat finally release his copious seed deep within his mate. Chris actually fell asleep while still connected to his lord. He dreamed of being possessed yet again while the cat bit his neck and lapped away the blood.

Waking stiff and sore, he found Lord Standish in human form but still buried inside of him. His shoulders stung and his shaft actually hurt from coming so many times. The fire had been remade so he knew Josiah had been in at some point during the night. The door opened softly and the butler’s head poked in.

“You all right, Sir? The master was on a real tear last night. I’ve not ever seen him like that before. I’ve got the healing salve ready for you. It looks like you’re going to need it.” The big man whispered.

“Good God, what did I do to you?” Ezra’s horrified voice came from his back. “My love, I’m so sorry. Ouch.”

“My lord, what’s wrong?” Chris asked worriedly, trying to turn his head to see the problem. “Ow.”

“I’ve marked you badly and if feels as if my poor cock will never move again.” Ezra gingerly began to back out of the well-used channel and they both hissed with the pain.

“I’ll run a hot bath for you both with some of those healing salts.” Josiah shook his head and left. 

“Please tell me I didn’t take you against your will, Chris. I would never forgive myself.” He rolled Chris over and gazed anxiously down at him.

“Ezra, you could never do that for I will always want you. The cat seemed to need me very badly last night and he was . . . quite insatiable.” Chris blushed at the memory and finally Lord Standish seemed to relax a little.

“So aside from being insatiable and a little careless with his teeth and claws, the cat didn’t hurt you?” He asked again.

Chris smiled up at him. “I love you, my lord. He did feel bigger than ever before. You know, when he’s inside of me and he begins to swell larger?” He waited for his lord’s nod. “Well, this time he kept getting bigger and bigger until it did . . . hurt a little.”

“Odd, I have no memory of that.” His eyes were puzzled and he shook his head before getting to his feet and pulling Chris up after him. They both hissed with sore aching muscles and they helped each other up the stairs to where the healing bath was waiting. Josiah and Vin were both waiting afterwards to give them massages with the herbal cream that Nathan made for the household.

Two nights later all the bruises were healed and they were playing in the maze when the change came over Lord Standish. The big cat sniffed Chris all over but especially his groin and then licked him from head to toe until he was laughing joyfully at the teasing whiskers. The cat lord nudged several pillows over to him and arranged him on his back with the pillows underneath his hips before sliding into him.

And it was a repeat of the earlier night, he swelled so large that tears leaked from Chris’ eyes and his whimpers rang out in the night air. The big paws holding down his shoulders flexed but didn’t unsheath the deadly claws while his tongue delicately licked away each tear. Again Chris came three times before the cat lord released his seed deep inside of him.

Then he raised his muzzle to howl at the moon, which Chris realized was almost full. He thought maybe that had something to do with his lord’s insatiability and vowed to mention it in the morning. If he survived the night, he thought while the furry cock began to move inside of him again with hardly a missed beat. But he loved his lord very much and made sure he told him over and over until his voice grew hoarse and he fell asleep exhausted.

Lord Standish was bewildered by this change in the were-cat’s behavior and he searched his vast library of books for information on curses and the witch who’d cast the original spell. But he came up with nothing and it took all of Chris’ pleading to convince him to sleep with him again. The cat lord did nothing but cuddle his mate that night and the one after that.

But the full moon brought out his hunting instincts and he took Chris in their bed with even more passion if that was possible. With soft pillows cradling his stomach and chest, healing cream soothed deep inside his channel by Lord Standish and the knowledge he was greatly loved by his cat lord, he spent the night coming over and over again. He slept beneath a furry blanket and awoke to his human lover gently pulling free of his well-used channel.

And that seemed to be the end of the odd behavior. The next night, the big cat sniffed him all over then licked his stomach tenderly before leaving him to go hunting. Chris was puzzled but content with the delicious rabbit stew Buck made with the coneys the cat lord brought back as a present. They eyed the next full moon with some trepidation but nothing happened out of the ordinary.

Shortly after that, Chris began feeling ill in the morning. After the smell of bacon frying made him throw up, Lord Standish insisted on the local doctor making a visit. Dr. Travis came, poked and prodded the manager and admitted that he had no idea what was wrong with him. He did suggest some vitamins and a change in diet to see if that would help.

But Chris kept getting sick in the mornings so Lord Standish ordered him to stay in bed until the nausea went away each day. That seemed to work and the next month passed pleasantly with the cat lord finally taking Chris again. Every night he’d nuzzle and lick his mate’s stomach then gently take him from behind until he came. He no longer swelled at all and Chris missed his girth.

However, Lord Standish continued to make love with him and his large cock satisfied something deep inside of Chris. He noticed his stomach was developing a slight curve and wondered if he needed to go on a diet then dismissed the idea in favor of exercising more. However, one afternoon when they were all relaxing in the heart of the maze naked and ready for lovemaking, Nathan made an interesting discovery.

Blankets and pillows made a comfortable bower for them while Buck had made all kinds of interesting dishes for them to feed each other. Chris and Ezra watched their friends sporting erotically while they leaned against each other and fed each other strawberries dipped in whip cream.

JD had finally reached the point where he was ready to take Nathan inside of him and they all pitched in to caress and relax him so he was prepared to take the dark shaft of the blacksmith. He and JD kissed over and over while Buck stretched the small hole for his lover. Their triad was fascinating to Chris and he wished them nothing but the best.

Finally JD was ready and Buck held him close while Nathan spooned up behind the young stable boy and gently but inexorably forged inside him. Tears leaked steadily from the pained brown eyes while the cook murmured soft encouragement and kissed each tear away. Nathan stilled once he was completely embedded inside his young lover. JD caught his breath and turned his head enough to smile tremulously at the dark man. The love that shone between the three of them made Chris want to cry.

Then he found he was crying and it surprised him so much he stopped. Ezra asked him quietly if he felt all right and he kissed him in answer. They nestled together among the gaily colored silk pillows and when they watched Nathan begin to move in JD, Chris suddenly craved Ezra’s cock. So he reached for the oil that was always near one of their orgies and coated his lover’s shaft before pushing him flat and reaching behind him to grasp the slippery cock and guide him home.

They both gasped when the crown pierced the tight muscle then Chris let gravity take its course until all of his lord’s shaft was held safe within his depths. “Oh you feel so good, my lord. I think I shall be insatiable today. If that’s all right with you?”

Ezra chuckled and slid his hands up the strong legs to the rising shaft. “I shall just have to grin and bear it, I suppose. My love shall have all of me he can handle.”

“Oh good, I love having you stretching me wide.” Chris moved up then dropped back down, the cock brushing against his gland and starting the fire inside of him that he loved. “I miss the cat’s swelling shaft. It hurt a little but felt so wonderful once he began to move.”

“He hurt you and neither of us wants to do that.” Ezra’s eyes were slitted rather like his alternate self. “Although, I will tell you that both of us adore and love you completely.”

Chris smiled down at him leaned down to kiss him for those lovely sentiments. They made love for an hour before Ezra released inside of him and Chris shot over his lover’s chest. They rested together with Chris clasped closely to Ezra’s side. Warm hands stroked his stomach gently and they dozed for some time before hunger brought them back to the orgy.

Josiah had Vin spitted on his cock while JD was hugging Nathan with Buck inside of him. Chris lazed on the pillows while Ezra fixed a plate of delicacies for him. He stretched and stroked the small bulge that seemed bigger than ever before. He noticed Nathan eyeing him and he blushed, afraid the blacksmith would think him slovenly. Ezra brought back the filled plate and Chris decided to eat now and worry about getting fat later.

Once Buck and JD were finished and resting, Nathan arose and came to his master and his manager. “My lord, I wonder if I might examine Master Chris. Dr. Travis is good for a white man’s doctor but he doesn’t have the ‘touch’.”

Ezra asked him. “My love, would you mind if Nathan examines you with his healer’s touch?”

Chris nodded his head shyly and Nathan spread his big hands over his front and closed his eyes. Softly he chanted the same phrase over and over, “Amabi, sunami, marati. Amabi, sunami, marati . . .”

The skin beneath his hands began to glow with a yellow light and he slowly moved them up to Chris’ shoulders then down past his groin and all the way down to his toes. Warmth followed the movement and Chris sighed happily at the lovely feelings. Nathan returned to his stomach and very gently laid his palms on the small bulge.

“Masters,” he looked happy and shocked at the same time. “I know not how this happened but Master Chris is carrying my lord’s babies. They are almost three months old.”

Ezra was stunned but so was Chris and they laid there while Nathan watched them closely. The lord was the first to recover. “The witch’s curse has never acted this way before.”

“I believe none of your ancestors laid with a man, my lord. Each married and had their children conventionally but you have chosen a different path so the magic had to find a way to reproduce.” Nathan spoke slowly to give them time to come to grips with his shocking news.

Chris felt adrift wondering if Ezra could possibly want such a freak as he was now. He couldn't help but sniff back tears while wondering what would become of him.

Ezra held him close. “Dearest Chris, we shall journey this path together. Are you willing to carry our children to birth?”

Chris nodded mutely and felt his lord hold him close.

“Nathan, how will the child be born?” Ezra asked their blacksmith.

“There is more than one child, my lord. As they grow, I’ll be able to tell how many are there.” Nathan split a smile between Chris and Ezra. “Since they are the result of magic, we will have to search your library for the answer to your question. My grandmother is one of the magic users of my people and I will consult with her if you would like.”

“Yes, please, Nathan, ask her what she thinks.” Chris told him then turned soft eyes to his lord. “I wish to carry these children for you.”

“And for you also, my dear Chris. They are made up of both of us, are they not, Nathan?” Ezra kissed his lover and cast a questioning look at the blacksmith.

Nathan nodded. “I believe so, my lord. A child is always made up of a seed and an egg. Your ‘curse’ must have changed some of Master Chris’ seeds to eggs so you could impregnate him. The magic must have also created a safe place inside of him to cradle the children until they are ready to be born.”

Chris was still in shock and he listened to the two of them talk while he stroked the tiny bulge and tried to picture his body getting even bigger the way he remembered his wife’s being with each of their daughters. He moaned when he realized he was going to be even bigger if he was carrying more than one. Would Ezra want to be with him when he was fat and ungainly?

“Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking, my love.” Ezra’s voice snapped him out of the depression he was starting to fall into. Then he proved he could read minds. “You are my beautiful lover and you will remain beautiful the closer you get to their birth. I shall love and protect you even when I can no longer reach around you.”

Then he made a silly face and Chris had to laugh. The satisfied smile on his lord’s face made him pull him closer so he could kiss him. They lingered in the reassuring kiss for long moments until they had to breathe. Then they snuggled back in and began to plan for the future.

[“I’m pregnant?” I asked him in a squeaky voice.

“Well, I overheard you planning to breed two of your horses and that put fecundity into my head and suddenly I thought . . . why not throw a little twist into the fairy tale?” Ezra grinned up at me while I tried to think of something to say. “I’m told male pregnancy stories are very popular and there are several archives full of them on the Internet. Probably written by women who’d dearly love to see a man go through what they do while giving birth.”

“But, but it’s not possible.” I said weakly.

“Neither are were-cats but you like them.” Ezra said seductively and started kissing down my throat to the hollow where I always shivered. “Take a chance, my love. Let the story play out.”

I arched under his hands and agreed. “All right but if I get cravings you have to feed me.”

He laughed out loud. “I promise. Now go to sleep. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.”

**********************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mpreg! Fairy tales are fair game.


	14. Beauty and the Beast, part six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Chris is glowing and Lord Ezra is protective.

********* Chris ********* 

[The breeding went well and Miss Daisy was soon carrying a colt. Vin was schooling our newest filly, Scheherazade or Sherry for short. Buck and I had taken a road trip to a breeder down in Arizona and our phone bill was more expensive than the drinks in the mini-bar. Buck had to talk with JD while I couldn’t get to sleep until I’d heard Ezra’s voice.

Odd, but we’d all become domesticated so fast. 

I was story-starved too and could hardly wait to get home. Buck and I shared a beer the last night and we talked about our lives. He gave me the biggest compliment I think I’ve ever gotten when he told me I’d done good by letting Ezra love me. That could still make me blush for some reason and he teased me gently about it. We talked about Sarah and how this relationship was different from my love for her.

He said that love was good even if it was different and he was the luckiest man in the world that JD had fallen in love with him. I told him they’d been good for each other. Buck had given JD a solid base while JD had given Buck his enthusiasm to go along with his sense of adventure. We teased each other about who was more inventive and I told him a little bit of the fairy tale Ezra was spinning in our spare time.

I did *not* however tell him I was pregnant in the story. That was going to remain a kind of guilty pleasure. I wasn’t sure why but it hit about twenty kink buttons of mine. Ezra just laughed and promised me a nice long part of our bedtime story when I returned. I was ready to be home, now. Buck agreed and we started at dawn and drove straight through.

He dropped me off at my front door and I left my bag in the foyer. “Ezra! Where are you?”

“Bedroom,” the faint call came down.

I took the stairs two at a time and just about ran down the hall to our room. He met me in the doorway and I kissed him as hard as I could while trying to touch all of him – at once.

“Missed you.” “I missed you.” We said simultaneously when our lips parted.

“Don’t like leaving you behind, Ez’. Damn it, I couldn’t sleep without talking to you every night.” I rested my forehead against his. “Missed you so much.”

He chuckled and held me close. “I missed you also, Chris. It’s happened before but it does not seem to get any easier. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat.” I leered at him. “Tell me you made some of your chicken and dumplings.”

Dimpling, he took my hand and led me to the kitchen. “I did make some this morning. It’s in the warming oven. Let’s get you fed.”

“Then I want to go to bed and take a nap.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m getting old, Ez’. I can’t take these long drives like I used to.”

He sat me down at the kitchen table and dropped a kiss on my hair before putting on oven mitts and taking a casserole dish out of the second oven he’d requested almost a year ago. “None of us are getting any younger, my love. We’ll just have to make some concessions to our aging selves and schedule more rest stops or perhaps actually,” a fake gasp, “fly rather than put 1000 miles on a vehicle.”

I stuck out my tongue at him then took my first bite of his mouth-watering great dumplings. It was a small bite because it was smoking hot but even so, I could feel my taste buds go into ecstasy. Ezra is such a good cook, it’s a wonder I don’t weight 300 pounds. Luckily, my metabolism is fast and I get all the exercise a man could possibly want or need.

Ezra sat across from me and smilingly watched me eat. I swallowed a few bites then asked him to start the next part of the story. He chuckled and agreed.]

Lord Standish was very protective of his Chris and so were their friends. Buck cooked every dish he requested or even expressed an interest in. Josiah began altering some of his clothes to fit his expanding figure. Vin gave the best back massages so when the aches of all the stretching and rearranging of his body got more frequent, he was always available to soothe away the pain. JD practiced his reading skills while reading aloud to him every morning while their lord received visitors who could no long see Chris’ changing shape.

Nathan listened to Chris’ hopes, his dreams, and his fears about bearing these children. He researched the estate library and wrote to his grandmother for information. When the nausea got suddenly worse, he made herbal infusions until one of them worked and eased Chris’ stomach. They became fast friends and Chris felt safe, knowing that his care and the care of his children were in such good hands.

“My love, come and walk with me.” Lord Standish held out his hands and Chris took them gratefully. It was getting harder and harder to get out of the comfy chairs in the study. His belly had swollen three times larger in just the last two months. Once up, Ezra kissed the white linen covered mound before placing kisses in each of Chris’ palms. “Chris, you grow more beautiful each day.”

Chris blushed and leaned over to kiss his lord’s lips, relishing the taste of after lunch brandy since he’d been forbidden to drink once the babies were discovered. “I grow fatter every day - that is for certain.”

“Nonsense, my dear,” Ezra slid an arm around his ever-expanding waist and led him from the manor into the bright sunshine. “The children are growing so quickly, your poor stretched body can’t quite keep up. Is the pain better or should I call Vin for a back rub?”

“It’s not bad today, Ezra.” Chris nuzzled a tempting ear. “But part of me is feeling very neglected and it really needs to be stretched.”

He chuckled and led him into the maze while Chris tried to get him to walk faster. Making love outdoors was so much fun but the heart of the maze was one of the only places safe enough to indulge in naked play. Their friends were already there, sporting in love’s labors and they greeted their lord and his mate with smiles and laughter. Taking their time, Ezra and Chris undressed each other.

Kisses and caresses made Chris feel beautiful and Josiah and Vin made sure they kissed each piece of skin on his expanding belly when they were helping him. This afternoon was no different and while Ezra stretched the tight hole of his love, each of the others stroked his stomach and nipples. They scattered love over his entire front until he was hard and aching.

Then Nathan knelt in front of him and braced him against his chest since it was now too dangerous for him to be on all fours. His big warm hands stroked him soothingly while Ezra slowly eased his cock through the well-stretched hole. Chris sighed in contentment while being spitted on his lord’s shaft.

He had an odd thought at that moment. “Nathan, do the babies feel their father’s shaft?”

The healer kept on stroking. “They don’t know it’s his shaft but they can feel the love both of you feel for each other and for them. In another month, you may have to give up this lovemaking. Too vigorous movement could stimulate them into going into premature labor.”

“No,” Chris said with a tear in his voice. “I will miss this so much.”

Ezra kissed his neck in the hot spot under his ear. “I will miss it too, my love but not enough to hurt you or our children. Perhaps the cat will not be such a risk, Nathan?”

The big man hesitated. “I would need to see your mating to judge the vigor used.”

Chris blushed. “He is very gentle with me, Nathan. His shaft is not so thick or long, now that he no longer expands during our lovemaking.”

Nathan nodded and judging by the panting that Chris was starting, he reached for his cock and began the tender stroking that would bring him to climax. When it hit, Ezra came too and they shuddered through their release together. Chris became sleepy almost immediately and his lord tenderly pulled from him and cleaned away the trickles before helping him into his nest of soft cushions for a nap.

When Chris woke up, he saw Josiah slowly preparing Vin for his big cock. He always liked watching that, remembering back to the first night in this enchanted castle he now called home. The love and tenderness between them was so beautiful it brought tears to his eyes. He wiped them on the corner of his shirt lying next to him. Vin was on his back, almost bent double by the butler who sank into his depths with a sigh. They could kiss in that position and Chris mourned the loss of that.

Stroking his bulging belly, he thought about being slim again. Able to kiss Ezra from the front instead of the side; able to be in that position while the lord or the cat took him from between his legs; able to just turn over without needing help; he mourned quietly until the most amazing thing happened. Beneath his hands, he felt movement. Pressing a little, he held his breath and waited.

A little flutter repeated and he burst into tears again.

“My love, what’s wrong?” Ezra had returned with a plate of savories. “Is there pain?”

Chris shook his head and took one of his hands, laying it over the spot. The flutter came again and yet again and his lord’s eyes widened.

“One of the children is moving.” He said reverently. “Our son or daughter is moving.”

Nathan joined them and felt it, too. “That’s strong for almost five months old. May I do another reading, Master Chris? I think they may be ready to tell us how many you carry.”

“Yes please, Nathan.” Chris said eagerly and Ezra agreed.

Laying his big hands over the mound, he murmured soft words before the stretched skin began to glow. It was the familiar yellow they’d seen every week on Chris’ check up but slowly the colors began to change a little. Nathan moved his hands to about an inch above the skin.

“See the glint of silver on the top right and left?” He said quietly and they nodded. “Then can you see the gold at the bottom on either side?” They nodded again. “Congratulations, masters, you are having two girls and two boys.”

Chris fainted. Ezra simply looked stunned. “Four, Nathan? Good God.”

“The cat lord will think it a most appropriate litter, my lord.” Nathan tried in vain to hold back his smile.

Ezra just glared at him before turning to press soft kisses over his mate’s beautiful face.

[“Jesus, Ezra, *four*?” I asked him while we settled into bed.

“Five or six would be more like it if he were a true cat.” Ezra told me with a sly grin.

“God, I can not imagine how big I’m going to get with four kits inside of me.” I settled down with a sigh onto our comfortable mattress. “It is so good to be home, Ezra. Even if you are keeping me barefoot and pregnant.”

”I like you bare, love.” He told me with a kiss and I pulled him on top of me so I could feel his solid weight holding me down.

“Me too, I like both of us bare. I’d miss this a lot if we couldn’t make love face to face.” I ran my hands down his back to grasp his beautiful ass. “I love it when you take me this way.”

“I love it too, sweetheart.” He reached over my head to the shelf where we keep the lotion. “Taking or giving, love?”

“I want to receive this time.” I told him with a wiggle. “I want to just lay here and let you have your way with me.”

“Your wish is my command, Master Chris.”

I’d only been half hard at that point but something in his Lord Standish voice turned me on like crazy and none too soon, I was enjoying being impaled on his wonderful cock. I came pretty quickly really, tired means no stamina and just a little juice. We napped for about an hour before I headed out to check on the horses and he finished up his business for the day.

Then I talked him into a picnic down at the pond in the lower pasture. I wanted to hear more of the story in an outdoor setting. He agreed and we made sandwiches while he caught me back up on some neighborhood doings. We took towels with us since skinny dipping was definitely on *my* picnic wish-list.]

Master Chris just kept getting bigger and bigger in front. Pretty soon he needed help for everything but going to the bathroom, although sometimes he missed the chamber pot because he could no longer see his privates at all. But all six men of the estate were there for him and his naturally sweet nature made them want to help him all the more. He was pretty sure he waddled when he walked but none of them would confirm that when he asked.

Pretty much the only place he felt comfortable at the end of his sixth month was the natural springs in the little grotto beneath the castle. There he could float at his leisure and for a while feel less like one of those whales that had eaten two of his ships. He only indulged during the day because the night belonged to the cat lord, who hated getting his fur wet.

He was there, floating when Nathan brought a visitor to see him. He stood up and blushed all over when the blacksmith introduced his grandmother to him. She chuckled and walked down the steps into the pool holding out both arms to him. “Come here, little one, you have a heavy burden to carry. Let’s see what I can do to make you more comfortable.”

Chris embraced her shyly. “Thank you for coming, Mistress. I will take all the help I can get. Do you know how they will be delivered?”

For that was his greatest fear, that he would die during the birth and kill his babies.

“Ah, four healthy . . . strong . . . babies.” Her hands sent out a green glow over his skin. “Beautiful babies and not much longer for them to come out.” She murmured the soft words of their language and Chris thought about how magical they sounded. And he was not far wrong for Mistress Vodan was a healer-mage of great power and her grandson had inherited some of her talent.

Ezra joined them then, shedding his clothes unselfconsciously and joining Chris in the pool. “Mistress Vodan, welcome to our home. We are very glad you are here.”

“Good it is to be here, my lord. Your magic is strong within you.” She gazed into his eyes and finally smiled. “The witch’s curse petered out almost sixty years ago. This is of your doing, my lord and the wish of this sacred spot. It was no accident that your ancestor fled *here* to live out his life. The land chose him and continues to fare well in your keeping.”

“But how could the land change Chris’ body and seed into what I need to have children?” Ezra’s voice sounded a little frightened for the first time since Chris had met him.

Fiercely, he hugged him tight. “I do not care how it did it. I am glad that I can do this for us. Except for being fat and ungainly, I want these children. I want to hold your babies in my arms and care for them and watch them grow.”

Mistress Vodan nodded approvingly. “A fierce mate is just what you need, Lord Standish. A strong mother for your children, who will protect them as completely as the cat lord will. Only one of them carries the change within him. He will be a handful, Sirs.”

Chris glowed with happiness. “One of them will be a kitten and baby in one?”

“Yes, he will follow the pattern and grow more quickly than the others. He will be as valiant a protector of his siblings as his father is.” She kept on stroking the babies and Chris felt calm and safe as he leaned back against Ezra’s chest, letting the conversation flow over him like the water in which he stood.

Somehow he would birth these surprising children safely and then they would raise them with love, cherished and protected. He’d always felt at home on this estate and he thanked God he’d stopped here on his journey over a year before. Even then, the land had welcomed him in and made him feel at home.

“My love, come back to us.” Ezra’s voice sounded in his ear and he came back to the here and now with a start. “We need to get out of the water so Mistress Vodun can examine you more closely.”

“Yes, of course.” Chris blushed but let his lord help him out of the pool and into a warm robe that dried him and hid his body from view at the same time.

Nathan helped his grandmother dry off and redress in another brilliant robe of blue and green. Her turban was the same material and Chris found himself fascinated by the way the colors shifted and swirled on the edges of his vision. They were static when looked at directly but almost out of sight, they moved. He decided to ask her about them later since right now they were in the small birthing room they’d begun to prepare for when ever he went into labor.

Mistress Vodun had Nathan bring her the carpetbag she’d brought with her and she drew forth a miniature chair and bed setting them on the floor and casting her hands over them with a sharp command that reminded Chris of his lord when he was in decisive mood. He loved it when Ezra took him in that frame of mind. Alas, it had been much too long since he’d been allowed a forceful taking.

But his attention was drawn back to the furniture for they were growing bigger and bigger until they were full sized. Chris examined them closely and gulped a little when he saw some of the odd straps and stirrups attached to them.

“Not to fear, little one, examinations won’t hurt.” She said briskly. “Now, please lie down on the bed so I can see what my hands felt in the water.”

Ezra helped him upon the bed and unfastened his robe. The healer-mage again ran her hands over his bulging belly while talking to Nathan in their own language. He was making notes with a quill on parchment while the colors on Chris’ skin changed over and over. He bit his lip when she gently probed his upper chest. 

”Nipples are getting more sensitive, yes?” She asked and he nodded. “They are getting ready to feed your babies. They will grow a bit more but don’t worry about looking like a female, little one. The children and your lord will all enjoy suckling at your breast.”

Chris blushed crimson but Ezra just laughed and kissed him sweetly.

But her hands had moved back down to his privates and he felt uncomfortable for the first time since she’d begun to examine him. She noticed and stroked him gently. “Nothing to fear, little one. I’ve seen this before and you are very pretty here. Now, the next part will be a little invasive but I must check between your legs and your cheeks. Will you allow me this great liberty?”

He wanted to say no but if it would help his babies come safely then he would endure any amount of indignity. “All right.”

He whispered it but they all three heard him. Nathan stopped taking notes and helped Ezra position him at the end of the table before putting his feet in the odd looking stirrups he’d seen before. Ezra stayed with him, stroking his face and scattering kisses across his skin.

“Ah, this is good, little one, the magic is still working strongly. Do you feel my fingers here?” She asked him gently.

“Y-y-yes, ma’am.” Chris stammered and held onto Ezra’s hand when he felt her warm touch between his cheeks.

“The skin is turning a good healthy shade of blue. I’m going to cast a spell to show me what I need to know about the birth channel.” She asked him calmly and he squeaked out a ‘yes’ before feeling something like he felt when the cat lord’s cock would swell inside of him.

It felt so good he groaned and clutched Ezra’s hand even more tightly.

“Excellent, the channel will be ready when the babies are.” She covered him with a blanket to hide his nudity and came up to his head. “The babies will arrive through the same channel that began them. All is well, my lords, rest easy. I shall stay and see them safely into the world.”

[“Oooo-h, that’s going to hurt big time.” I said with a wince while on my hands and knees half in and half out of the water. “Tell me there’s magic involved so there’s no pain.”

“No pain, no gain, my love.” He teased me while stroking in and out of me.

“Oh-h-h!” I groaned and came.]

****************************


	15. Beauty and the Beast, part seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris delivers in fairy tale land.

********* Chris ********* 

[I was pretty sure I was pouting but it didn’t do any good. Ezra had to meet with some of his clients and he had to do it in Seattle. I couldn’t pick up and leave just then so he was going without me. And that just felt wrong. But it had to be endured since we weren’t glued at the hips. So I drove him to the airport and watched him disappear through the big glass doors.

Vin and Josiah came over that night to have dinner. The nicest thing about old friends is the way you don’t have to pretend with them. They could see I was down and missing Ezra so they did their best to cheer me up. Josiah had Vin and me laughing hysterically with his stories about some of his students malapropisms. 

I told him he had to keep track of some of the best ones and tell Ezra about them when he came home. He promised to do so and I was already looking forward to watching my lover enjoy the silly mistakes of careless students. When they left, I was relaxed but the damn bed sure was big with only me in it. I showered quickly and crawled into it, eyeing the phone and wishing it would ring.

When it did, I just knew it was my psychic lover. “Hello?”

“The room is adequate but they didn’t stock any tea bags with the coffee maker.” His disgruntled voice made me smile.

“You took your favorite tea with you, Ezra.”

“That’s not the point. It’s the principal of the thing.” His voice was gradually sounding more relaxed and I was too. “Now, how was dinner?”

I talked for a while before asking him for more story and he chuckled but agreed.]

Lord Standish watched over his lover with a sharp eye but so did everyone else on the estate. When he got restless, someone was always there to walk with him or help him back when he over-spent his energy. Chris hadn’t thought he could get any bigger but the babies kept growing and he felt like an over-ripe watermelon. He just knew he was waddling but again, no one would admit it.

Mistress Vodan listened to his fears and admitted the birth would be hard and painful. But she also reminded him of his strength and ability to bring his children into the light of day. A water birth would be easier for him and once he was a little further along, they’d make that decision. She promised him she would be there every moment of the labor as would his lord and all his friends. Chris knew it was so but still he worried.

Two days after the beginning of his seventh month, his back began to ache but he thought nothing of it. He waddled out to the orchard to satisfy his craving for a peach and then had to sit down to rest while he ate it. A little muscle rippled at his side and he pressed his hand against it, willing it away.

“Master Chris? Is everything all right?” Buck’s voice came from the lavender knot-garden where he’d been picking blossoms to dry. He crossed over and knelt by his side.

“Just a little muscle spasm, Buck, it’s already going away.” Chris assured him and stopped rubbing. 

“Now, you know I’d of brought you in some peaches, Master Chris.” Buck gently admonished him. “I’ve been thinking of making some peach cobbler. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Chris smiled at him. “I like all the desserts you make, Buck. The babies like them, too. Our kitten kicked me for almost an hour last night after the chocolate mousse.”

Buck chuckled. “Well, when they decide to come out, I’ll make some just for him. But right now why don’t I walk you inside so you can have some nice cold peach nectar.”

Chris knew what he was doing but he was hot and the nectar sounded good so he let Buck help him up and give him an arm to steady him. Josiah was polishing the silver at the kitchen table and he got up to help the pregnant man to a seat. They talked about dinner and about the comfortable tunic Chris was wearing. It was like the robe he’d worn when the cat lord first took him. It was all he could manage now he’d grown so large in front.

“Oh, there’s that silly twinge again.” Chris rubbed the spot. “Ah, now it’s over here, too.”

Josiah’s eyes widened and he rose slowly. “I think I’ll just check on Vin in the laundry. I’ll be right back.”

And he hurried to find Mistress Vodan to tell her of the ‘twinges’. A few moments later they returned to find Buck rubbing Chris’ back while the pregnant man assured him it was just a little achy. The healer-mage smiled and stroked back the blond hair from the slightly perspiring face.

“Ah, the little ones are impatient, Chris-to-pher. Today is the day we bring them out into the sunshine.” Her rich accents flowed over him like the finest brandy.

Chris started and looked at her wide-eyed. “Today, Mistress? It’s not too soon? We must tell Ezra at once.”

“I’ll find him.” Josiah volunteered and hastily departed.

Buck and Mistress Vodan helped him up and down the hall to the exam room. A few moments later Lord Standish arrived and shortly after that, Nathan appeared to help his grandmother. The others waited anxiously outside the door while little grunts and an occasional moan came through the door.

Lord Standish came out in a rush. “Boil water, Chris wants a cup of tea and I could use one, too. She’s going to let him deliver in the spa.”

“That’s great!” Buck blinked and smiled. “What kind of tea?”

“Mistress Vodan asks for something soothing. It will help when the labor pains grow.” Their lord looked a little shaky and Buck decided to put a little something extra in his cup when it was ready. “For now, we wait for the babies to decide when to come.”

They all nodded and Lord Standish went back into the room. It was just four in the afternoon and who knew how long it would be before Chris would have them. They scattered to finish chores but none left for very long. After an hour, Lord Standish and Chris appeared to walk about the main floor. Occasionally the pregnant man would rub a sore spot or his mate would caress a certain spot on his huge belly.

When they found Josiah kissing Vin in the great hall, Chris smiled at them wistfully. “Ezra, after the babies are born, I want to make love with you in every single room of the manor.”

His lord chuckled and kissed his hand. “Your wish is my command, my love. We will start at the top and love all the way down to the springs.”

“Do you know how much I fantasized about this table after we became lovers, Ezra?” Chris blushed a little then gasped and clutched his stomach. “I think they may be getting a little closer together.”

“We’ll go back to Mistress Vodan if you wish, my Chris.” But when Chris shook his head, his lord helped him sit down in one of the high-backed chairs.

“Josiah, would you like Vin to carry a child for you?” Chris asked the butler who was smiling at them while holding his lover in an affectionate embrace, the wine steward’s back to his front.

“I’ve thought of it, Master Chris.” Josiah admitted and caressed his lover’s stomach. “It would be wonderful to have a miniature Vin to bring up.”

Vin’s eyes widened and he twisted a little to look up into his lover’s blue eyes. “You really would, ‘Siah? I thought I was the only one who wished that.”

They stared into each other’s eyes and Chris could see the magic of the place swirl around them like multi-colored ribbons of rainbow lights. He smiled through another cramp, holding a little harder onto Ezra’s hand and panting a little. Their kiss was beautiful to see and he had a sudden urge to watch them make love.

“Shall we ask Mistress Vodan if the magic would stretch to us?” Josiah asked with bated breath.

“Yes, please, I’d like that.” Vin glowed and Chris thought with satisfaction that his children would one day have playmates close to their own age. “Even if it hurts and is uncomfortable, I’d like to carry your child, Josiah. He or she would have the most beautiful blue eyes like yours.”

“Or like yours, my love.” Josiah kissed him again and ran his big hands down his back to the temptingly pert buttocks of his lover. “We could practice now until it’s time for the babies to be born.”

Chris and Ezra laughed out loud but shooed them away to find a quiet spot. Ezra helped his lover out of the chair and decided to walk him back to the exam room for an update on their ordeal. Nathan was waiting for them. When Chris relaxed on the slanted table with his feet in the stirrups, the healer checked the birth channel with his warm fingers.

“It’s getting bigger slowly, Master Chris. How are the contractions coming?” He asked in his gentle voice.

“They’re . . .” Chris panted through another hard one. “They’re getting closer together and the babies are kicking more.”

“Ah, they know they’re going to get to come out and see their mama and papa.” Nathan’s white teeth gleamed in a broad smile. “The more you move around, the less the pain will be. And if you need to groan and make some noise then you just go right ahead and let loose. None of us is goin’ to mind one little bit.”

Chris blushed but nodded. “Nathan, would you ask your grandmother if the magic of this place would let any of the rest of us get pregnant? Josiah and Vin would like to have a child, too.”

Lord Standish spied a blush on Nathan’s dark cheek and he raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps the land has already decided to do so?”

Nathan’s smile was tiny but heartfelt. “JD is pregnant with Buck’s and my children, one each. Grandmother noticed it this morning but we haven’t had time to sit down with him yet. She thinks he wished to give us our heart’s desire and the land listened.”

[I gasped and Ezra chuckled on the other end of the line. “I told you this story was different, my own.”]

Chris let Ezra help him down from the table and re-button his robe. Then he gave Nathan a sideways hug. “We’ll help all we can, you know that. He can ask me any questions he needs to. It will be so nice to have lots of children on the estate. Ezra, do you think Buck has any of that peach cobbler made yet?”

Lord Standish chuckled and kissed him sweetly. “Let’s go and see. Maybe we can talk him into making some ice cream to go with it.”

His mate licked his lips and smiled. “Peach cobbler and peach ice cream, that sounds quite delicious.”

Nathan joined them in their walk to the kitchen where Buck was just taking out a pan from the wood stove. He laughed at their expectant looks and set it aside to cool a little. Nathan took him into his arms and told him about JD and their babies to be. His mouth fell open and he gasped before asking how. His lover raised an eyebrow and bumped his hips against his groin.

Buck blushed then began to smile that wide-open, beautiful smile of his. “We’re going to be Daddies, Nate. Hey, maybe that’s why JD didn’t eat much breakfast this morning. You’ll have to make up some of that herbal infusion for him. And we need to buy some more milk cows for when the babies grow up a little.”

The four of them sat at the table and ate peach cobbler with whipped cream, planning what needed to be done for the next pregnancies in the castle. The little pains were coming almost continuously when Chris gave a big groan and held onto the table edge with both hands.

“Oh . . . it feels . . . like there’s . . . pressure . . . low . . . between my legs.” He panted out and made another face. “Different . . . this feels . . . different.”

Nathan pulled out Chris’ chair and raised the robe to check between his legs. “Oh, they are in a hurry. I’m thinkin’ it’s time to go down to the springs.”

He swept Master Chris up into his big arms while Lord Standish hurried to the door to the lower levels and held it open. Everyone crowded down the steps while Buck hurried off to gather the missing members of the staff. Mistress Vodan was already in the water and she welcomed her patient in with a big smile. Her hands cast spells all over Chris’ body and they could see the bright gold light already head down low in his belly.

“She’s an impatient one to be sure.” Mistress Vodan chuckled. “The water needs to be a little warmer, Nathan. Chris-to-pher, I’d like you to hold on to Lord Ezra. Let his strength help you when it comes time to push. Ah, dilation is quickening.”

Chris panted through the almost never-ending contractions while Ezra held him close. Nathan chanted a low spell in his native tongue and the water began to warm. The others silently crept in to watch and wait. Master Chris panted and groaned while it felt like something too big to fit moved lower and lower. Ezra spread his legs between Chris’ at a low command from Mistress Vodan and just about split his lover in two.

“It’s time, Master Chris. She’s ready to come out. Push . . . push hard . . . now.” The hypnotic voice reached inside of him and seemed to help him obey.

Hard . . . harder . . . hardest, Chris writhed in pain and need. Pain the likes of which he’d never known wracked him. Until with a wail, he pushed his daughter free of his body. Falling forward into Ezra’s arms, he tried to catch his breath between the sobs of pain.

“My love, my own, my beloved,” Ezra scattered kisses over the face in front of him.

“A beautiful little girl, Chris-to-pher,” hands came before them holding a small baby with a fine layer of blond hair on the scrunched up head. 

Chris thought her the most beautiful baby in the world. His finger trembled when he reached out to hesitantly touch her cheek. “Amelia Elizabeth Standish, welcome to the world.”

“Goodness, she has your beautiful hair, Chris.” Ezra joined him in stroking her cheek. “Josiah, would you hold her for now? The contractions are starting again.”

Chris’ face was already in a grimace and fifteen minutes later, Adam Henry Standish was born. Buck got to hold the dark haired sprite when the contractions started over once again. Chris was getting more and more tired. It felt like he’d been straining forever and he was growing exhausted. But with a whispered spell, Nathan loaned him some of his strength.

Rebecca Maude Standish, another little blond beauty was born almost an hour after her big brother. Vin and JD took turns holding her while they all watched with worried eyes as Chris visibly weakened under the deep pains wracking his body. Ezra constantly murmured his love and caring to his lover.

“Last one, Chris-to-pher, your sweet kitten is waiting to be born. But he’s tired too, little one.” Mistress Vodan crooned softly while her hands stroked Chris’ back with a soothing stroke. “We need your strength, gentlemen.”

“Take from us what you need, Mistress.” Josiah spoke for all of them.

Her voice soared over them in the ancient tongue of her people and suddenly they felt tired while Chris flushed all over and began panting with vigor again. Ezra gripped him tightly and whispered sweet words into his ear. “My love, you can do this. I love you so much and you’re so very brave. I’m amazed and humbled at your willingness to carry our children. They’re such beautiful babies, Chris, tiny and perfect in every way.” He scattered kisses over the sweating face before him. “Although, I am afraid our kitten is going to be quite upset at you getting his fur wet.”

Chris choked on his laughter and pushed out hard with all his strength. Mistress Vodan crowed with joy and crooned at the sound of a squalling cry. “A fine kitten, my friends, he will be such a handful.”

“Sebastian Ezekiel Standish,” Ezra held Chris tightly while he turned to accept his son from her hands. He was so small, his little hands scrunched up under his chin and his head covered with a layer of dark fur. Chris found himself smiling and crying at the same time, his eyes moving from baby to baby.

“Time to get out of the water before we all turn into prunes,” Mistress Vodan laughed. “Healing spells need dry land and Master Chris needs healing.”

It was quite confused for a moment but eventually they all left the spas for the exam room. Each baby was weighed and measured before being carefully cleaned and dressed in soft flannel robes. Mistress Vodan chanted continuously over Chris’ nicely deflated body. He actually fell asleep on the examination table and they tiptoed around him while getting everyone ready for an early night.

An hour later, Chris was carefully tucked into their bed with the babies by his side. At ten, Ezra changed into the cat lord and jumped onto the bed to sniff all five of them. He very gently sniffed each small form then licked each downy head before moving to his mate, settling by his side and nuzzling his throat with a contented purr.

“We’re a family, Ezra, beautiful girls and boys with a little bit of each of us inside of them.” Chris kissed the fur between the bright green eyes and chuckled tiredly when Ezra licked his cheek. “I am going to sleep for a week, my love. Watch over us, Ezra. All too soon they’ll be awake and looking for their first meal.”

A soft mrow echoed in the still room and Chris fell asleep with his hand tangled in the dark fur. 

[I sighed happily and curled up a little tighter. “That was good, Ez’, even if you did put me through hell first. When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow, I miss you, Chris. This trip would have been much better if you’d come along. These men are seriously into coffee and tall tales about their sexual exploits.” Ezra sighed.

“They can’t be any taller than our bedtime tales.” I said with satisfaction.

“Ah, that is correct, sir. Our bed is the stuff of legend, my love.” He sighed and I knew he was running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll be coming in on flight 237 at 20:05. Will you be there or should I give Josiah a call?”

“You bet I’ll be there, lover.” I said quickly. “I can hardly wait to get you home. I’m planning a night of passion and pampering like you’ve never experienced before.”

His chuckle was music to my ears. “Lovely, Chris, I think that’s a wonderful idea. Could we be Roman Senators after a hard day at the Forum?”

I chuckled. “Yes, we can. I’ll be your faithful body slave, making sure the white curtains are on the bed and the olive oil is ready for your massage. I’m thinking the silk toga for you and that little loin cloth for me. Then some finger food I can feed you by hand before satisfying *all* your other needs.”

“I’m feeling better all ready, my dear Chris.” Ezra’s voice had his lilt back. “Now, I must let you get some sleep, you’re going to be busy tomorrow and so will I.”

“Love you, Lord Standish.” I told him.

“I love you too, Christopher Larabee.” He yawned. “See you tomorrow.”

“Night, love, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I told him and heard his sleepy goodnight. Hanging up, I stretched out and buried my head in his pillow. If I couldn’t have him, at least I’d have his scent to keep me company.

Yawning myself, I idly wondered if we’d ever re-visit the castle and its inhabitants. I hoped so. Watching those kids grow up would be fun. Plus, I’d love to watch JD and Vin go through what I just had. Chuckling a little, I took a deep breath and fell asleep.

****************************   
The end of Beauty and the Beast


	16. Snow White, the Huntsman, and the Five Miners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy tale tells all!

********* Chris ********* 

[Fall seemed to come more quickly this year since we all retired and we spent as much time as we could outside. Alone and as a group, we rode over the ranch usually ending up at the pond to go swimming. I was extremely smug when I finally talked Ezra into going nude and the rest of them caught their first glimpse of his cock. Buck’s eyes almost fell out of his head and JD laughed and laughed at his pout.

But Vin had his own smug look when Josiah stripped off and stalked him into the cool water. Ezra hadn’t been kidding at how big the older man was when he described him for his rendition of Beauty and the Beast. He’s a large man all over so it looked to be in proportion with the rest of him but I was going to have to ask my lover how he knew the crown flared out so widely.

I wasn’t jealous but I did want to know the details. I seemed to be turning into a voyeur in middle age. We kept towels, pillows and blankets in a big Rubber Maid trunk that we’d left at the pond so we could dry off and relax after swimming. When the sun was out, nude sunbathing became the norm and we all turned a golden bronze except for JD who wore sun block 45 because of his fair skin.

But the weather was changing and one rainy Sunday afternoon Ezra and I were sprawled out on the butterscotch couch in front of a nice big fire. We were both wearing comfortable sweats and I felt like purring when I slid my hands down the front of his low slung pants to stroke his cock.

“How about a new fairy tale, Ez’, tell me a story?” I nuzzled his ear and nipped the tempting lobe.

He stretched a little in my arms and chuckled. “All right, Chris. I had an idea the other day about an old favorite of mine.”]

Once upon a time in a very cold mountain realm there lived a King and his Queen. They had longed for a child their whole marriage but nothing happened until one Christmas Eve, they drank a little too much eggnog and boffed like bunnies until dawn. Pleasantly sated, the King slept while the Queen made a silent wish for a child with skin as white as snow, lips as red as rubies and eyes the color of her favorite emeralds.

Nine months later, Prince Snow White was born. When the Prince was ten, his father the King died and Queen Maude became the regent for her son until he could come of age at sixteen. But within the year she grew lonely and soon married a wealthy Count who kept her very happy. Prince Snow White was a lonely child but he had his books and his lessons so he didn’t really miss having others to play with. But truthfully, he didn’t know what play was.

Queen Maude met with an accident a week before Prince Snow’s sixteenth birthday and the whole country went into mourning. The Count kept the prince close to him and promised him he would take good care of the realm until he could assume the throne. The Prince didn’t really care all that much about ruling because he knew how much he was going to miss his mother, who’d been his only real friend.

The Count was a secret potion master and he had a private room deep in the castle dungeons. He would go there once a week to mix his longevity brew for he was really almost two hundred years old. After downing the bitter draught, he’d strip off his clothes and preen in front of the magic mirror that hung on the cold stone wall.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the best hung-one of all?”

And the mirror would take a good look and reply, “Woah, baby, you are, handsome.”

He’d smile and stroke his hard cock until he shot his seed into a glass beaker for the next week’s potion. On the night of Queen Maude’s funeral, he hummed happily all the way down the stairs. He had great plans for the kingdom and they did not include any mousy little prince upstaging him. One of the lingering-death potions should do the trick, he thought to himself.

It took three hours to get the evil potion brewed and he set it aside to simmer over a low flame while he made and ingested his weekly drink. Taking off his clothes, he stroked himself in front of the mirror until he was almost ready to come before asking his question. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the best hung-one of all?”

“Sorry, Count-baby, but Prince Snow’s cock is as big as an ox.” Came the reply.

His hand stilled and he screamed at the mirror. “That’s impossible. He’s nothing but a skinny shrimp.”

“Au contraire, mon Count, he’s packing serious heat in those dowdy britches you gave him to wear while he’s mourning.”

“Show me,” the Count demanded through gritted teeth.

And the mirror obliged him with a view of the Prince’s room and the young man bathing in the small tin tub. While most of him was short and compact, his big cock hanging between his legs. He was blushing while he washed it and his innocent stroking made it firm a little and begin to stand up between his thighs. 

The Count gnashed his teeth and ranted and raved for almost an hour before he could squeeze out any seed for the next potion. His jealousy knew no bounds and he was already planning a dire end for his step-son when he climbed the steep stone steps to the second floor of the castle. No lingering death for the prince, he decided a swift, sure stab or three in the forest and he’d be rid of the little brat.

The next morning, he summoned Chris, the Royal Huntsman, to a quiet chat in the garden. He had the man’s gambling debts to hang over his head so he ordered him to take the prince deep into the Enchanted Forest and kill him, leaving his body for the wild animals to ravage. The huntsman bit his tongue and agreed, all the while knowing he could never hurt the young man.

But he had a plan and he immediately put it into action. Even though the prince was still in mourning, Chris went to the small dingy room in the third castle tower where the Count had moved the prince almost the moment his mother died. The young man was sitting by the unlit fireplace, crying a little whenever he remembered the blond woman who’d taught him so many of life’s lessons.

“My prince, I’m sorry for your loss.” The huntsman went to one knee by his side. “But she wouldn’t want you to mourn so much. Come out with me to the forest and I will give you another lesson in tracking wild game.”

The prince sniffed a little and blew his nose on his handkerchief. “May we go out the back way so no one knows we’re gone? I’m not sure of the etiquette of this situation.”

The huntsman smiled and stood, offering his hand to the young man. “Of course, we can. I’d like you to pack a small rucksack with a change of clothing and an extra hanky or two. We may be gone all day.”

Prince Snow White took his hand with a blush and didn’t ask any questions, just packed a small green rucksack with the clothing requested. Just lately, he’d been feeling the oddest things when ever he had a lesson with the huntsman. It felt like butterflies in his stomach and he flushed all over when the man touched him. The way his shaft swelled whenever he thought of him was very, very disconcerting but he was too shy to ask him why that was.

And he certainly couldn’t ask his step-father all the questions about his body and the way it was changing. He’d be much too embarrassed to say a word. If only he had a friend who was older and wiser, he thought miserably. “I’m ready, Sir.”

“Call me Chris, my prince. You’re almost of age now.” The huntsman thrilled at the sweet voice and wished again they were a little closer in age and station. Oh, how he wanted to take the young man and teach him everything he needed to know about love. “Come quickly, we need to get started for we’re going deeper into the forest than we’ve ever been before.”

They left out the back and the Count watched in satisfaction from the window in the throne room. Soon, it would be all his and the prince would be dead. He smiled then masked it with a sad look, turning back to the advisers of the kingdom and their planning of the next few days. Soon.

[I liked this one almost as much as I liked the first one. We’d slowly stripped off all our clothes while he was telling the tale and I was balls deep in him. He was faced away from me, using those strong thigh muscles to raise and lower himself on my steel hard cock. I had both those taut buttocks in my hands, helping him and occasionally I’d stroke his spasming hole with my fingers.

Ezra always shivered when I did that and so I’d do it again, teasing those nerve endings so close to the surface and remembering how good it felt when he did it to me. He flexed his muscles around me and I thrust up one more time and came hard. He milked me until I was empty before slowly pulling off my softening cock and turning around to kiss me. That will always get my attention and today was no different.

“So, do you like it so far?” He asked me while reaching for the oil on the coffee table.

“I like you being the shy, blushing virgin this time. Are the others going to come into this story, too?” I asked him while drawing up my legs so he could get to my entrance. I really needed to get fucked right now. I arched up a little when the first two fingers went in, twisting and turning to loosen me up.

“Yes, indeed they are. I’ve taken a few liberties with the plot so there will be only five instead of seven miners.” He chuckled and came back in with three, scissoring them while I moaned in enjoyment. “I’ll have to see what I can do about turning our bed into a . . . ah-h-h-h. Oh dear, you do feel good, my Christopher.”

My eyes watered a bit when he stretched me wide with his cock and I panted until finally relaxing a little. “More story, Ezra, what’s our bed going to become?”]

They walked for almost three hours and the prince was walking rather close to the huntsman because the forest was so very dark here. Besides, the huntsman moved so gracefully and his stride was so beautiful, the little prince just couldn’t help but want to be closer. But suddenly, three paths appeared and the huntsman stopped so suddenly the prince crashed into him.

Whirling, the huntsman kept him from falling and held him close for a long moment. The prince clung to him and felt safe for the first time since his mother died. Chris held him and couldn’t resist dropping a kiss on the dark hair beneath his chin. The prince stammered an apology but Chris hushed him and stroked his back tenderly.

“No harm, my prince, there will be no harm done today.” He didn’t want to let go but he had to confess his orders to his liege. “Prince Snow White, your stepfather bade me take you here and kill you. Two years ago while drinking heavily I lost at poker. I lost so much that I had to borrow money from the Count. He’s holding those debts over my head even though I paid off twice the original amount since then.”

“Oh,” the prince blinked back his tears and wondered why the Count hadn’t forgiven him the debts if he’d paid them off. The young man was rather naïve about the real world. “Then why did you ask me to pack a change of clothes if you mean to kill me?”

Chris dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “Forgive me, my prince. I could never kill you or hurt you in any way. My brothers live nearby and I thought you would be safe with them while I go back and tell the Count I obeyed his wishes. Then my brothers and I would figure out a way to get you back to the kingdom to regain your throne.”

The prince thought about that for a moment then knelt in front of his huntsman and reached out to raise the lowered chin. “Thank you, Sir. I will do as you say and hide until you can rejoin me. Please, don’t let it be too long.”

Chris couldn’t help but grasp the hand touching him and press a kiss to each long finger. “Not a moment more than needs be, my prince.”

“Oh, that makes me feel so odd,” the prince said watching the huntsman’s lips taste him. “Why does it make my stomach quiver when you do that or when I watch you walking?”

The huntsman smiled happily. “It means you’re growing up, my prince and your body is awakening to physical pleasure.”

“What kind of physical pleasure?” He asked innocently. “Mother told me once that when I was older she’d have the Count tell me what the changes in my body meant.”

“I’d be more than happy to tell you, my prince. Did you ever see your parents kiss?” Chris felt butterflies in his own stomach at his temerity in daring to tell the young man about sex. When Prince Snow White shook his head no, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the rose-red lips of the young man. “That is one kind of a kiss, my prince.”

He licked his lips unconsciously and Chris started hardening. “Parts of me like that very much, Sir. May I have another?”

Chris smiled and kissed him again, lingering a little and licking the slightly parted lips. Then he dared a brief touch to the prince’s belt. “Is this the part that likes our kissing?”

The prince blushed and nodded. “Sometimes . . . it grows,” he whispered and made a vague gesture to his groin. “One morning there was something encrusted on it and the laundry maid said something funny about the sheets needing more washing now that I was grown.”

“It’s called your shaft, my prince. All men have the same reaction when they’re aroused so don’t worry about it.” He stroked back the long dark hair and wished he had time to pleasure his young prince before he headed back. “Ask my brother, Josiah, if you have more questions, little one. He was a scholar before he came back to help out in the family business. And don’t be embarrassed about your questions. All young men have them as well as the physical urges that accompany them.”

Prince Snow White felt so safe in his huntsman’s arms and the stroking of his hair made him want to purr. “I will, Sir. How long will it be before you can come back?”

“Soon, my prince, I’ll be back as quickly as I can for I will miss you very much.” Chris kissed him again and this time swept his tongue through the innocent lips to the sweet nectar waiting for him. But time was passing and he had to get him on his way so he pulled back and stood, drawing the young prince up with him. “Take the center trail all the way to the mountain then take the right hand entrance tunnel. One of my brothers will find you. Tell them Chris sent you and be sure and tell them what I told you about the Count. Repeat that please.”

“Take the center path to the mountain, enter the right hand entrance and follow the tunnel until your brothers find me. Chris,” he said the name shyly and with a little blush, “tell them what you have told me. I will miss you more than I can say.”

Chris kissed him briefly then physically separated them although it hurt to do so. “Be safe, Snow, and I’ll be with you as soon as I can. I love you, my prince.”

The prince’s eyes lit up and he reached out to lay his hand on the huntsman’s leather vested chest. “I love you too, Chris, so very, very much.”

“Go,” Chris closed his eyes. “Go before I take you right here and now.”

Prince Snow White didn’t know what ‘take you’ meant but it sounded good to him. However, he was used to obeying his elders and doing what he was told so he leaned up on tiptoe to brush his lips against the huntsman’s then ran down the center path until he was lost in the sheltering trees. Chris licked his lips and headed grimly back to the castle and the first of many lies.

**** Snow ****

The prince ran for over a mile before slowing to a fast walk. The trees weren’t so thick here and the ground was rising all the time so he had to slow down and catch his breath. Suddenly the trees parted and he saw the mountain before him. He’d never been so close to it before and he looked up in wonder at the snow covered sides. It made him shiver and he realized it was still winter here although spring had come to the castle in the valley.

He slowly took the winding path for several hundred feet until he saw the three entrances ahead of him. The right hand one looked very small and he’d have to go on his hands and knees to get through it but Chris had told him to take it so take it he would. Putting his rucksack on the ground in front of him, he knelt and pushed it ahead of his body for some distance. It was dark and cold and he couldn’t seem to stop shivering in the chilly air. But he kept going until suddenly a light appeared almost blinding him.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here, brothers?” A deep voice asked and the prince looked up and up and up into the face of a very tall man.

“Um, I’m Snow White and Chris brought me part of the way here then send me on by myself while he went back to the castle.” He stood shyly and darted a quick look at the five men before him. “Are you Josiah?”

The big man smiled at him. “I am indeed and these are also Chris’ brothers, Nathan, Buck, Vin and JD. Why did he send you to us, Prince Snow White?” He saw the prince shivering and spoke again. “But we can wait for that tale for a bit. It’s a long walk up here and we’ve already worked hard today so let’s adjourn to the springs and hear the rest of the story once we’re clean and warm again.”

And so saying, he hugged Snow White close and urged him further into the sparkly grotto. “Welcome, my prince to our home.”

Prince Snow White had never seen such a beautiful place in his life. The torches the brothers carried revealed sparkling gems and shiny veins of gold and silver embedded in the granite rock walls of the vast chamber. He was so busy looking he missed their route entirely and only noticed they had reached their destination by a change in the air. The air currents were warm, almost hot and the air was damp with a clean smell of rock and stone.

“Come and get warm, my prince.” Josiah set his torch into a bracket on the wall and the brothers did the same so there was plenty of light to see the green and blue water steaming gently in the still air. “Put your things here so after we bathe you can change into them.”

The prince saw stone hooks carved in fanciful swoops protruding from the walls and shelf niches where the others were already putting the clothes they were taking off. He blushed and tried not to look at their strong hard bodies but oh it was so tempting to see another male when he’d never seen anyone but himself. Still, it wasn’t right to gawk at them so he dropped his eyes and slowly removed his own clothes, hoping they wouldn’t look at his scrawny self.

“Come in my boy, don’t be shy.” Josiah’s voice was cheerful and the prince obeyed at once although he really couldn’t help but stay shy. The water was blood hot and chased away the last of the chill from his long journey. He found the pool was chest height on him so he didn’t fear drowning in this strange bathtub.

“Here’s some soap, Prince Snow White.” The youngest brother JD gave him a glop of white gel and he showed him how to rub it between his hands to get it to lather and foam.

“Thank you, JD. Please would all of you simply call me Snow? I may not be a prince any longer.” He asked them earnestly and Josiah frowned a little.

“Wash up and then tell us why you say that, Snow.” He said with a kindly smile.

They all washed up and Snow kept sneaking peaks at all the different bodies before him. He hadn’t known men could be so different and he thought all of them absolutely beautiful, although not as beautiful as his Chris would be when he saw him. He was sure of that. When they were all done washing, they sat on stone benches carved from the walls of the pool and he told them what had happened since his mother died.

“Well, damn and blast, Snow, we’re not going to let that cowardly Count get away with this.” Buck said indignantly. 

JD moved from the bench to Buck’s lap and he leaned in and kissed him hard while the prince looked on wide-eyed. Nathan’s dark arm hugged the prince close for a brief moment. “Buck’s right, little one, we’ll find a way to get your throne back to you. I’m glad he picked Chris to kill you or another assassin might have actually done it.”

Blond Vin patted his shoulder before moving to Josiah’s lap and kissing him. “I wonder how long it will take Chris to get back to us.”

Snow blushed. “He said he would come as soon as he was able.”

Josiah’s sharp eyes saw the blush. “And what else did he say, little brother?”

Snow cast a shy look at the five brothers. “He told me he loved me and gave me my first kiss.”

Buck chuckled. “Welcome to the family, Snow. Now we’ll be seven brothers.”

Snow nodded. “I want to be a part of your family but I have a lot of questions about . . . things.”

“We’ll answer them all, Snow.” Vin told him with a flash of a white smile. “And show you too so you know what you really want when Chris comes.”

Nathan hugged him right onto his lap. “And if you had your first kiss today, I expect you’ve got lots of questions about male bodies and what they can do.”

Prince Snow White nodded and moved a little over the big shaft he could feel under him. “I want to know how to pleasure him and why my stomach feels so fluttery when I’m with him.”

They laughed and promised him they would help. He could hardly wait.

******************************


	17. Snow White, the Huntsman, and Five Miners, part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut and more smut.

********* Chris ********* 

[The weather just kept getting worse and worse until the forecaster said the first ‘real’ cold front was going to move through. Ezra helped me make sure the horses were in the barn, the hay was stockpiled in place and the heater was on in the trough so the water wouldn’t freeze. I’d be checking on them the next morning but if the storm really dumped a foot or two of snow on us, I wanted to be ready.

We’d checked with the others and all of us had battened down the hatches and settled in for the duration. I’d made sure the woodpile on the back porch was maxed to the limit so we could keep the fire roaring inside. We had a good furnace, plenty of backup power in the form of a generator if the lines went down but there’s just something about a blazing fire that appeals to me.

Ezra says it’s the primitive coming out in us but he likes the fire too so he always helps with the care and maintenance. We had steaks to grill over the fire while he nestled the foil wrapped vegetables in the red coals below the logs. I’d talked him into dragging one of the guest room mattresses out to a space we cleared near the fireplace and it was piled high with pillows and comforters.

Even though the wind was howling around the corners of the house, it was toasty warm where we were. He’d stripped out of his clothes once the room was hot and I did too while grinning from ear to ear. The little radiator in the bathroom would ensure it was warm when it came time to bathe. With all the lamps off and just the fire and a couple of candles for light, it was kind of like being in the caves where Ezra had left us a few nights before.

“More story, Ezra, I like the idea of caves instead of a cottage. What happens next?”]

Once they were all bathed, they wrapped their towels around them and headed down a long tunnel to another big room. The prince’s eyes widened at the sight of the gigantic round bed in the middle of the round cave. It was heaped with brightly colored pillows and soft velvet blankets over warm flannel sheets. It looked quite inviting and the prince wondered if he’d be sharing it with all of them.

He was kind of hoping he would because his stomach was quivering again.

“Here, wear this robe. It can be cold in the lower caves.” Nathan held out a furry green robe. “It’s the same color as your eyes, Snow. Put these slippers on too, little one. We don’t want you catching a chill.”

The prince did as asked and felt like he was being cuddled by soft lambs from head to toe. Belting it around his slender waist, he watched them all put on a different color robe and slippers. Josiah wore a regal purple; Buck had on a periwinkle blue that brought out the color of his eyes; Vin looked wonderful in sky-blue; JD sported a sherry colored robe; and Nathan wore one in deep chocolate brown.

“Come, little one, we need to eat our dinner.” Josiah put out a big hand and placed it on the small of his back, guiding him out into the tunnel and down a short way then into another cave. Torches lighted the oblong cave with the dining room table and eight chairs in the center. The prince helped JD set the table with the pewter plates and gleaming silverware.

Josiah, Buck and Vin brought in several platters of both cold and hot foods. Once they all sat down, Josiah said a short prayer then Buck poured a deep red wine into each heavy glass goblet. The platters made the rounds of the table and everyone ate heartily while talking quietly about what they’d been doing during the day. The prince listened to everyone and asked shy questions about their work.

They were each mining something different and he learned much about life underground and the digging out of the treasures he’d always taken for granted. The crown jewels, now in the Count’s hands, had each been mined here in the mountain guarding their kingdom. The crown held a 100 caret diamond mined by Josiah himself when he was younger.

“I’m the lapidary of our brotherhood, Snow. Once the gem stones are found, I cut and polish them so they can go to market.” Josiah drank another sip of the delicious wine. “I’ve a pair of emeralds I’ve been working on for almost a year. They hadn’t yet told me what they wanted to be but now I see your beautiful eyes, I believe they’d like to adorn your shell-like ears.”

“Ask them tomorrow, ‘Siah.” Vin yawned and barely covered it up in time. “For now, let’s go to bed. The gold vein in tunnel three was tough today.”

“My poor love, I shall massage it away for you.” Josiah’s look was almost incendiary and the prince wondered what he meant about massage.

The wine had loosened his tongue so he asked. “What is massage, Josiah?”

“Good heavens, Snow, you do have a lot to learn.” Josiah looked sad for a moment then he smiled at him. “Up my dear ones, let’s stack the dishes and put away the leftovers. I’m sure the kitchen gnome will reward us with a hearty breakfast tomorrow morning.”

The prince wondered about that so he asked another question, which Vin and JD answered in unison. The mountain gnomes helped out with the cooking and cleaning in return for certain gems the brotherhood mined for them. It was then he realized that they weren’t really blood-brothers but siblings of the heart. That made him feel much better about the way they held and kissed each other. He didn’t want to be a prude but he was pretty sure that brothers weren’t supposed to do that to each other.

He helped JD wipe down the table then joined them for the trip back to the bathing cave where they took turns using the magical chamber pot for their wastes. Vin had whispered in his ear what to do with the comfortable round wooden seat that sat over a hole through which the wastes disappeared. He told him while they were waiting for their turn about the compost the gnomes made for the oread’s garden on the surface of the mountains.

Snow asked what an oread was and Nathan answered him with a soft smile. “Every mountain has a nature spirit who guards and protects her realm. The spirit in human form reports to the ancient gods of our world. They don’t take much notice of mortals anymore but we try to take care of our home and not hurt her unnecessarily. Our oread is named Rain-Flower and she is the most beautiful spirit ever born.”

Vin nudged Snow and whispered. “Nathan loves her very much and twice a week, he leaves us to spend the night with her. She only visits us once in a while since she’s really shy and we can be a kind of noisy bunch.”

Snow thought about that while he took his turn peeing through the round ring. So, the brothers didn’t exclusively love each other, they also liked oreads and gnomes. Then he smiled to himself and wondered if Chris did, too. Vin had waited for him so when he came out of the little room that housed the hole and hand in hand, they returned to the bedroom. Vin pointed out the vein of pink granite connecting the two rooms so Snow could find his own way there if he had to get up in the middle of the night to use it.

JD and Buck were already in the big bed and Snow shivered when Vin showed him where to hang up his warm robe before getting in, too. They seemed to sleep nude and he shyly bared his body to them before crawling in one side. Vin slid in right behind and urged him into the center so he was sandwiched between Buck and him. It felt so odd to have all their warm, naked flesh next to his and his shaft was rising in response.

Josiah joined them then, sliding in next to Vin. “Nathan is going to Rain-Flower tonight. Will you be all right sleeping with us, Snow? I know it’s not what you’re used to and we do have a guest cave where we could put you for tonight.”

Snow shook his head vigorously. “No, I don’t mind. If it pleases you, I want to know more about how you can pleasure each other. I need to learn all I can before . . . Chris comes for me.”

Josiah smiled at the way he verbally caressed his brother’s name. “Very well, little one, we shall do our best to show you how to make love. Did you like your kiss?”

Snow nodded dreamily. “It made my stomach quiver and when his tongue touched mine, I felt like my . . . um, shaft was going to stand up.”

Buck chuckled and slid his hand up the prince’s arm to his shoulder. “Touch is a big part of making love, Snow. There’s no single place that feels better than another although each man has their hot spots. How does this feel?”

“Warm but my skin has goose bumps like I was cold.” Snow was a little bewildered but when Vin started on his other side, he moaned happily.

Josiah smiled and began touching Vin’s chest. “I know it’s odd but our bodies react to both hot and cold in some of the same ways. Watch what happens when I touch Vin here.”

Snow’s eyes widened when Josiah’s big fingers slid over the nipple above Vin’s heart. It peaked for him instantly and seemed to swell a little. When Vin copied the same touch on him, he realized why. “It feels . . . good. The stomach butterflies are back.”

Buck tweaked his other nipple gently then leaned over and kissed it, letting his tongue out to lick it into a hard peak. “What fingers can do, so can tongues and lips. How does this feel?”

“Oh-h-h,” Snow couldn’t manage any more for his body was reacting enthusiastically to every touch. He felt like he was on fire and his shaft was so hard, he was afraid it was going to leak that odd stuff.

“I’m going to touch your shaft, Snow.” Buck pushed the blankets off of him, which felt good because he was so warm. “Holy Mother of the Mountain, what a work of art your cock is. Oh boy is Chris going to be surprised.”

Snow blushed and looked worriedly at each of them. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Josiah laughed out loud and reached a hand over to stroke his shaft tenderly. “Nothing wrong, sweet Snow, you have a beautiful cock. It will give our brother much pleasure and you’ll feel that, too. It’s all right for it to grow, Snow. Watch what happens when Buck and I touch it together.”

The prince watched and panted while their fingers wrapped around his shaft and moved up and down it. A tear of liquid appeared at the long slit and he watched in disbelief when Buck bent his head and licked it away. He wanted to close his eyes but didn’t want to miss anything they were doing. Josiah’s big hand wrapped around him and gripped tightly and just like that he shot out thick ropes of white stuff over both of them.

His whole body convulsed and he fell back onto the warm sheets senseless. The two men smiled at him compassionately and then licked him clean while Vin and JD stroked his upper body. He came back with a rush, his whole body feeling new. Snow wanted more than anything to feel his Chris’ hands on him. But then he realized he could touch him too and that gave him a whole new set of ideas.

“Thank you, all of you.” He shared his beaming smile between them. “I can hardly wait to do that with Chris. Will he let me touch him, too?”

“Of course he will, Snow.” Buck moved back up and propped himself on one elbow while his finger traced patterns on the prince’s pale skin. “Making love is a gift of taste and touch that each man gives to the other. Anything that isn’t mutual is just plain wrong. One person who takes another without their permission is called a rapist and he’s evil.”

“Chris said something about taking before he left. What does that mean?” Snow asked innocently.

“It’s a euphemism for penetration and you’re still too young for penetration, Snow.” Josiah said, shaking his head. “Once you’re sixteen, you can make the decision whether or not making love that way is for you. But we can show you how it’s done.”

Snow frowned. “What kind of penetration can take place?”

Josiah smiled. “Both men and women can experience penetration, Snow. A woman has an opening between her legs through which a man’s shaft passes into her body to give her pleasure. It’s also where a child must pass when it’s time to be born from the womb inside her body.”

“A woman carries a baby inside of her?” Snow’s eyes were like a little round owl’s. “Did my mother carry me like that?”

Josiah realized the little prince really didn’t know anything about the workings of either men or women’s bodies. “Yes, she did, Snow. I’ve got a good book on the subject and we’ll read it together tomorrow. I’ll answer all your questions I can.”

Snow grinned and nodded. “Thank you, Josiah. I look forward to learning more. But a man doesn’t have an opening between his legs so where does a shaft go?”

Buck moved his big hand down the prince’s body, under his shaft and between his legs. Snow’s legs automatically moved apart to give him room and the smiling man thought again what a natural the boy was to loving. “There’s an opening just here.” He rubbed his finger gently over the small hole between the prince’s cheeks. “It’s a place that brings great pleasure to both partners, both the taker and the giver. But making love this way should never be done lightly for there can also be great pain involved if both men aren’t prepared.”

Snow was moving restlessly and his cock was rising again. Josiah thought with a grin about the recovery time for a young man. He continued with the lesson. “It’s all right, little one. Getting hard again is perfectly normal for someone your age and so are your questions. Lay back while Buck and JD demonstrate how it’s done. Remember it must be done with love and great care so neither one is hurt. The taken man must be relaxed and well stretched before the giver of the pleasure ever slips inside of him.”

“A man doesn’t have any natural lubrication,” Buck had rolled over and onto JD and for a moment while they kissed, the lecture was postponed. Snow couldn’t help but notice the tenderness they shared. He thought it beautiful and he ached to know that feeling for himself.

When Chris returned for him, he would know this then. He hugged that knowledge to him with a feeling of joy. Soon he would be with the man who made his stomach flutter and his spirits soar. But for now, he was going to learn every single thing about how to make Chris feel good.

Buck and JD were now scattering kisses all over each other and Vin was showing him a bottle with pretty golden oil within it. “What Buck was saying about lubrication is important, Snow. You’ve got to put oil inside your lover and your cock has to be slicked up, too. It’s all part of making love. Some men like being taken so much that they never want to take another. I’m like that. I love Josiah inside of me with all my heart so I rarely take him. Buck and JD like to switch back and forth. That’s a decision you and Chris will make together.”

“And I love being inside of you, sweetheart,” Josiah kissed Vin’s shoulder and then dipped his big fingers in the bottle, covering them with oil. “Snow, sit up so you can see how to get the oil inside of your lover. I can start with two fingers because Vin is used to me but if you and Chris decide to try this out, you’re going to start with one finger only. Turn for me, angel-eyes.”

Vin handed Snow the bottle of oil before turning and kissing Josiah hard. Josiah’s glistening fingers slid slowly down the shadowy crease between Vin’s taut buttocks and the blond immediately moved his top leg over his lover’s hip. Snow watched wide-eyed while the two fingers began to disappear within the tiny hole. His breath was growing short and his shaft had never been this hard, not ever he thought dazedly while his hand reached for it.

They were still kissing while the fingers disappeared deeper and deeper inside Vin. It felt like the temperature of the room had soared and Snow found himself stroking his shaft harder. Vin was making little moans and flexing his muscles in evident enjoyment of his impalement. Snow noticed Buck and JD were watching them, too. With a big grin, JD’s fingers had dipped into the oil and he was behind Buck while the bigger man flexed and did a little groaning of his own.

But Snow’s eyes kept returning to the slender blond and his larger partner. They were so beautiful together, their love shining around them like a golden shroud. He wanted to look like that with Chris. With wide eyes, he watched a third finger move in to stretch the muscles guarding Vin’s entrance. They looked impossibly thick to him but when Vin stretched and moved away from his lover, he saw Josiah’s shaft for the first time.

[“Just how did you know Josiah was so big, Ezra?” I asked him from my comfortable position with my head in his lap while he fed me a slice of apple.

“When we were on the Perelli case three years ago we both got sprayed pretty good with that toxic sludge he was passing off as liquor. I was starting to itch pretty badly and Josiah kept twitching. Once we got back to the offices, we hit the showers together and I think we both got a surprise.” Ezra chuckled and brushed a kiss across my frown. “We nodded to each other and that was it, sweetheart. I simply remembered when I started spinning our tales.”

“Okay,” I said. “I was just curious. More story, please. When is Chris coming back?”

He laughed and kissed me sweetly before getting another apple slice and feeding it to me. “Soon, my love, don’t be so impatient.”]

Snow watched in awe at the large organ standing tall above Josiah’s flat stomach. It looked even bigger than his and he couldn’t believe it would ever fit inside of Vin. But his new friend was happily going onto all fours while Josiah knelt behind him. Snow was sitting up and splitting his gaze between Vin on his knees with the big man sliding in and Buck on all fours with JD about to pierce him.

He didn’t want to blink in case he missed something. Snow held his breath when Josiah fit the mushroom head into Vin and slowly slid inside. The look on Vin’s face was pained but then a big smile began to bloom and he sighed happily. Snow gulped hard and switched to his other side where Buck was wiggling back to seat JD deep inside of him. They were both laughing and Snow thought wistfully how much he wanted that wonderful feeling for himself.

“Oh, Josiah, harder,” Vin sighed and pushed back while Josiah’s big hands held his hips still for him. “More, love, give me more. I’ve got an itch that really needs scratching.”

“My impatient love, you really need to relax and let me take care of that itch.” Josiah chuckled and began to thrust in and out of Vin slowly building up speed until it felt like the whole bed was shaking.

Snow hugged his knees to his chest and watched JD for a little while moving really fast in and out of Buck. His lover was pushing back to get more of him inside and once there he must have been doing something that made JD laugh and tell him, “No fair, Buck. Stop rippling those muscles or I’ll come too fast.”

Buck took pity on the prince and explained what he was doing. “You’ve got inner muscles as well as outer muscles, Snow. With a little practice, you can learn to flex your inner channel around your lover’s cock and believe you me, Snow, he’ll love it and so will you when it’s your turn. Oh yeah, JD, right there.”

“See, Snow, a man has a spot inside of him that really likes to be touched with either fingers or cock.” JD explained while keeping on thrusting with little grunts at each snap of his hips.

“And that feels good?” Snow asked, going back to watching Vin groan around the thick shaft impaling him.

“It feels great, Snow,” Vin said with a big smile and a loving look over his shoulder at Josiah. They kissed softly but awkwardly then they went back to making love with all the passion they had. 

Snow watched and hugged his knees tighter. He made a silent vow to learn all he could so he would be able to make it as joyful and wonderful for Chris as these four were making it for each other. He wanted to belong to someone the way they belonged to each other. He wanted the same love they shared. And if he was very lucky, he’d be able to pleasure Chris so he’d never want to leave him.

He was a quick learner and he wanted this more than anything.

[I held Ezra tight and wondered if something from his past had crept into the story. I knew he’d been hesitant about making our relationship more formal. He was afraid of getting hurt and I’d been a pretty tough nut to crack. I’d obviously not given him enough reassurance that we were together forever and I was the most committed man on the planet.

I’d have to do better.]

***********************************


	18. Snow White, the Huntsman, and Five Miners, part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons and longings.

********* Chris ********* 

[The steaks were well done and the vegetables practically fell apart when rescued from their steamy foil. Ezra had picked out a nice Lambrusco to go with our meal and we dined al fresco as Ez’ likes to put it, feeding each other every other bite. Food really does taste better off someone else’s plate. I sighed and patted my stomach soothingly.

“Did you enjoy them with the garlic sauce?” Ezra finished off the last bite of cauliflower.

“Yeah, it gave them some zip and we both ate some so we won’t bother each other with the smell.” I burped discretely behind my hand and smiled at him in apology.

He returned my smile and took another sip of wine. We were both leaning back against the couch, propped up on pillows and toasty warm under the comforter. I watched his eyes gleaming in the firelight and thought he looked more beautiful in the fire’s glow than he did in any other light.

“Ezra, you do know I love you?” I asked him out of the blue and watched his eyes widen before his fingers clenched around his wine glass. “I don’t say it often enough but I do. Without you, I’d be a grouchy old ATF supervisor, working under enough stress to kill me and nursing a miserable ulcer.”

“Chris,” his eyes came back up to mine and I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. “You’re the happy ending I gave up expecting long ago.” He gave the elegant shrug that always made my mouth go dry. “I guess even after all this time, I still feel a bit . . . unsure of my place in your life. But do not doubt my love for you for I have tied my life to yours and I take those vows very seriously.”

“I know you do, Ezra.” I took his glass from his fingers and stretched to the side of the mattress to set it with mine. Coming back to him, I slid down and tugged him with me so we could cuddle under the blankets. “I take them seriously, too. We can’t stand up in front of the world and take those vows but we’ve already taken them between us. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Together, there isn’t anything we can’t do.”

He kissed my throat and smoothed tender fingers across my chest. “You can be a rather romantic person, Christopher Larabee.”

“I learned it all from you, Ezra P.” I kissed his temple then his lips when he tilted them up to me. We feasted on each other for a long moment before he sighed a little and went back to cuddling. “For dessert, tell me more story. What’s happening with the Count?”]

*** 

Well, the Count was publicly worried about the prince wandering away from the castle while still grieving for his mother. The councilors reassured him of the young man’s good sense and suggested he send out the Queen’s Guard to search for him. He agreed and made sure they started looking in the opposite direction of the forest. He even joined them for several hours and made sure the villagers and lesser lords saw his concern.

He’d always been a good actor. But once back in the castle and his own suite, he sent for the Royal Huntsman. When Chris appeared quietly at the door, he beckoned him into the room and over to the window. “How did your hunt go, Huntsman?”

“Quite well, Sir.” Chris’ face was like granite and it was all he could do not to wring the count’s scrawny neck.

“Good, good, I don’t suppose you brought me back anything?” His eyebrow rose derisively.

Chris took the leather pouch from his shoulder and silently handed it over. When the Count opened it, he couldn’t quite keep a broad smile from his face. “How nice of you to bring me the heart of a young . . .”

“A deer, my lord, while hunting I found a young . . . buck fleeing through the forest.” Chris said with what he hoped was a sinister smile.

It must have worked for the Count nodded and handed the pouch back to him. “Take it to the kitchen and have the cook prepare it for my dinner. Tender young flesh can be a restorative for a middle aged man, like myself.”

”Sir,” Chris bowed and kept his face expressionless with a mighty effort. He left and went straight to the kitchen to drop off the heart. Heading to his small room over the stables, he dropped his bow and quiver and rubbed his face tiredly. A knock at the door brought his blank face back and he opened it warily.

Colonel Travis of the Queen’s Guard stood there with a worried expression on his face. “Chris, the prince is missing. We’ve combed the castle, gardens and all the estates near by this afternoon. No one saw him leave and no one’s seen him since early this morning. Did you by any chance see him before you left for your hunt?”

Chris wanted to tell him the truth but he couldn’t risk it. 

“It’s been a while,” six hours and 46 minutes his inner clock said, “since I’ve seen Prince Snow White. His other lessons took up more and more of his time as he got older and we didn’t get a chance for me to teach him any more woods craft. I do know he always felt better when he could walk in the forest. He must be in much pain over the loss of his mother.”

Travis nodded and pinched his nose. “I was afraid of that. The forest is a dangerous place and he may be out there alone, hurt or even dead. Tomorrow morning early, I want you to go looking for him. I’ll get it approved by Count Daedilus.”

Chris nodded, all the while rejoicing inside. Being ordered to hunt Prince Snow White meant he could run directly to the mountain where he was being looked after by his brothers. “I’ll leave at first light. Perhaps I can pick up his trail if that’s where he went.”

“Good, if we find him before then I’ll make sure you know. Bring him back to us, Chris. I fear for our kingdom if he does not succeed his mother.” Travis spoke softly and cast a serious look at the huntsman.

“If it’s humanly possible, he *will* become King, Colonel.” Chris said determinedly.

The colonel smiled slowly and they shook hands. Travis left and the huntsman finally was able to relax. It was dinner time so he slipped back to the castle and down into the dungeons for a quick bath in the communal spring. Everyone else was eating so he had them to himself. Ducking under the lukewarm water, he washed all over then soaked for a bit.

Thinking about Snow White, he found his hand stroking his cock. The small face, green eyes, dark hair . . .

[I stopped him right there. “The kitten-like face, the beautifully sparkling green eyes and silky hair black as night but with chestnut highlights. He’s just as beautiful as you are, love.”

Ezra actually blushed. “I stand corrected, Chris. Any more adjectives you’d like to add?”

“As you go along, I’ll insert them” I said smugly. “Kissable lips for sure.”

“Very well, I’ll try to be more descriptive.” He grinned and kissed me sweetly then continued on with the story.]

Chris kept stroking his cock while he thought about holding the young prince. His hair had smelled clean and fresh and he wanted to comb his fingers through it while Snow purred his pleasure. The slender body had felt so right in his arms, he wanted more and he hoped the prince did, too. Faster and faster, his hand moved until with an almost silent groan, he spurted his release into the water.

Sighing, he washed off and got out of the spa. Drying and dressing again, he stopped by the kitchen to pick up enough food for a quick dinner back in his room. Falling into his narrow bed, he thought about the big bed he’d shared for so many years with his brothers. Snow was there tonight and he sent him a silent ‘sweet dreams’ across the many miles separating them. Then turning over, he fell fast asleep.

The next morning he arose before dawn, dressed and slipped into the kitchens to grab a couple of apples for his journey. Then he was speeding into the forest after first pretending to scout about for any sign of the prince. Any actual spore he found he made sure was erased. Running easily, he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest he’d called home for years.

***

While Chris was journeying towards the mountain, the prince was awakened with several kisses from the brothers. He watched Buck take JD face to face and marveled at the tenderness between them. Vin showed him how to suck a shaft right into release by swallowing around him and he panted through his climax with trembling relief. After a hearty breakfast where Josiah coaxed him to eat a little more than he normally would, the big man showed him to a cave lined with ebony wood bookcases filled with more books than he’d ever seen before.

Josiah found a good book on human anatomy and they sat at the oak table to pore over the illustrations. The prince was astounded at the pictures of both males and females without any clothing on. Feminine breasts looked very odd to him especially when Josiah explained their nipples were like men’s but the tissue itself was larger because they held the milk for their babies.

Snow gulped hard when he saw the drawings of how a man came inside the woman’s channel; how the man’s seed traveled to the womb to fertilize the egg waiting for it; what the baby looked like each month until the last moment before it was born. He told Josiah he thought women were amazing creatures to undertake such a laborious duty. The scholar ruffled his hair and dropped a kiss on his head before turning to the section on men.

Vin came in just then and talked them back into the bedroom so the drawings in the book could be demonstrated on their own bodies. Snow chortled at Vin’s wink but added his pleadings to the blond’s. Josiah gave in very quickly and they all adjourned to the big bed, which had been cleaned from the morning loving. Stripping off their clothes, they rolled together on the bed, touching and teasing each other with laughter.

Snow had never had fun like this before and he felt his face was permanently creased in a smile. Josiah soon subdued his laughing lover and handed Snow the book turned to chapter 27. “Let’s see if I can remember my anatomy.” His big hands traced the clearly defined muscles on Vin’s chest. “The pectoral muscles can be rather ticklish and of course, they also lead to the nipples.”

“Men’s nipples don’t give milk too, do they?” Snow asked, looking down at his own chest. “Why are they different colors? Mine are a lot lighter than Vin’s.”

Josiah’s big fingers delicately plucked Vin’s nipples and they peaked for him at once. “Each man is different, Snow. I like to think of Vin’s as being cinnamon colored.”

“And yours are more tan, Josiah.” Vin smiled up at him and crept his fingers up the hairy chest to the darker nipples hidden in the salt and pepper curls. “As far as I know, Snow, men don’t give milk.”

Josiah raised an eyebrow. “Vin’s right but there are legends about the ancient gods who through the use of magic actually had children for themselves and did lactate for their babies. Of course, that could be pure myth. When Nathan introduces you to Rain-Flower, you can ask her if she knows of any.”

“Oh my, how would a man’s body stretch like a woman’s does? We don’t have wombs, do we?” Snow asked while smoothing his hands over his own flat stomach and trying to picture that happening.

“No wombs, Snow, so don’t worry about getting pregnant.” Josiah reassured him and ran a gentle hand over his nipples. Snow shivered all over at the wonderful feeling. “I think perhaps yours are rose-pink, little one. They’re a very pretty color.”

“Why don’t I have any hair on my chest like you do, Josiah?” Snow dared to reach out and gently touch the wiry curls. “Vin doesn’t either.”

“That’s the result of your father’s seed. My father was extremely hirsute but neither Vin’s father or yours had much hair to spare. It doesn’t mean a thing about how good a lover you will be or what kind of a leader you’ll become.”

“Oh, good,” Snow said with a little grin and then ducked when both of them began to tickle him. He almost came off the bed when Vin’s long hair swept over his stomach and he trembled at the teasing touch.

“Remember, Snow, every part of you can be used to arouse your partner.” Vin shook his head a little and the long strands tickled everywhere they touched. “Mouth, hands, hair, tongue, even your toes can be used to tease.”

“Toes?” Snow squeaked then almost spent himself when moist warmth sucked in his big toe. Josiah had wrapped his tongue around it and Snow marveled at how good it felt. “Josiah!”

The big man chuckled and proceeded to love each toe in turn until Snow was harder than he’d ever been before. But Vin was taking care of his cock with both hands and his mouth so it wasn’t any time at all before he released again. He lay limp and satisfied by the side of his two new friends while they kissed each other, slowly stroking each other’s shafts. 

While he watched, they moved until each of them had a cock in front of their mouths. Then they began to suck each other while their hands played with the balls that hung below their shafts. Snow remembered what he’d read about the seed casings and watched closely at how they changed, pulling up hard against their groins when they were close to coming. Josiah came first, flooding Vin’s mouth with his seed but Vin wasn’t far behind and they soon were cuddled together, sharing each other’s taste with a kiss.

Snow sighed longingly and wondered when he’d see Chris again. Suddenly the air currents changed and a warm breeze brought his eyes up to the cave doorway. “Chris,” he breathed his name and the man in question came in quickly so they met in the middle of the bed.

Chris was sweaty from his run and his leathers were rough against Snow’s skin but the prince didn’t mind in the least because he was receiving another achingly sweet kiss from the man who held his heart. Big hands smoothed loving caresses on his naked back all the way down to his nether cheeks and the skin tingled everywhere those touches went.

“Well, little brother, it’s about time you got here.” Josiah’s deep voice finally got through to the dazed prince. “It looks like you need a bath. And I think you have something important to tell us.”

Snow whimpered a little when the warm lips left his but they only moved far enough to scatter kisses over his face. He found his arms wrapped around the huntsman and he suddenly wished he had bare skin to touch. A bath sounded like an excellent idea to him and his nimble fingers began attacking the horn buttons securing Chris’ leather vest.

“I do have much to tell you, Josiah.” Chris kept scattering kisses everywhere and Snow soaked each one up into his grieving heart. “Ah, little one, you got here safely. Sweet Snow, have my brothers taken good care of you?”

Snow nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, Chris, they’ve been so very kind. I wish I lived here instead back at the castle. I’m learning so much.”

Hazel eyes gazed into his and the warmth there made him feel as hot as a Dwarven forge. “I’m glad, little one. We need to talk about how long your stay is going to be.” Those eyes went a bit flinty and Snow suddenly felt chilled. “The Count is being very sanctimonious about your disappearance. But he hasn’t fooled Colonel Travis so we have an ally in the Castle. Most of the Queen’s Guard will be firmly behind you also.”

Snow shivered. “Will there be fighting, Chris? I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt just because he wants to kill me.”

Chris’ eyes softened and he gently kissed his temple. “Don’t worry, Snow. We’ll try to keep any fighting to a minimum. But you’re wrong about one thing, sweetheart. He doesn’t just want to kill you. He needs you dead so he can become King and that would be a very bad thing for the kingdom. We want you on the throne because you’ll take care of everyone, not just those who can afford to pay him.”

Snow nodded slowly. “Mother instructed me closely on the duties of a king. I must always put the realm first and my people are the most important assets of the kingdom. I’m always to take care of them before even myself. Father taught me that when I was a little boy.”

The huntsman ruffled his hair and Snow felt like arching up into it like a cat. “Your father was a wonderful king like your grandfather.”

"I never knew my grandparents." Snow said sadly. "They died before I was born. Mother didn't like to talk about them so I don't know much. Their portraits are in the gallery at the back of the castle and when I was little, I'd go and talk to them so they wouldn't be lonely."

Chris held him close. "Josiah will show you a book written about the royal family. I remember reading their history when I was learning how to read."

Snow smiled and pressed closer to his huntsman. "I would like that, Chris."

Josiah chuckled. "Indeed you will, little one, but for now Chris should clean up. Perhaps you could help him, Snow? Show him what you've learned so far?"

The young prince's eyes lit up and he pulled away from the warm embrace to slide from the bed, slipping on his robe and slippers. "Yes, Chris, your brothers have taught me so much."

Chris's gaze narrowed and he cast a speaking look at his oldest brother. "How far have his lessons gone, Josiah?"

"Not far, Brother," Josiah clapped his shoulder. "We had to digress into lessons on anatomy, both male and female, and how babies are conceived and born. Luckily, the Count had not . . . offered those lessons to our prince."

Chris shivered and slipped an arm around Snow. Just thinking of the arrogant man even looking at the young prince, let alone touching him, made his skin crawl. "Thank you, Josiah. I'm grateful for you answering his questions. Are you all right with these new lessons, Snow?"

"Oh yes, Chris. We've only touched a little." The sweet voice took on a maturity beyond his years. "I've watched them make love but you're the only one I wish to teach me how. Is that all right?"

Chris kissed the rosebud lips, sipping gently at their nectar before pulling him towards the outer hall. "I would love to teach you everything you need to know, my Snow. We shall take each lesson slowly until you are comfortable with every new step. But for now, I need a hot bath and someone to scrub my back."

Snow grinned and pulled him along. "I will help you."

"Don't tarry too long, Chris. Lunch is served in an hour." Josiah called after them while Vin pounced on his lover, deciding on a salty appetizer.

[I chuckled around Ezra's cock and felt him shiver all over. Taking a quick look, I decided it was a good-shiver and not a cold-shiver, going back to worshiping the velvet soft shaft which was already pulsing out a little seed for me. 

Letting him go for a moment, I checked to be sure. "You okay, Ez', not too cold?"

Lazy eyes opened while a warm hand stroked over my ass. "I am most assuredly not cold, beloved. I am verging on incandescently hot. The story can take a hiatus while I take in this delicious treat you've been hiding against my leg."

Taking the hint, I rolled just enough to take more pressure off my cock. Squirming a bit, we settled down to a satisfying sixty-nine. Maybe Ezra could tell about their bath while we were taking ours later. Licking my lips, I went back to taking just a little bit more of his monster cock into my throat. 

Cold snowy days were a lot more fun since we moved in together.

**************************


	19. The Woods On a Snowy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the result of Cowboy Dreams Mistletoe Challenge of 2004.

********* Chris ********* 

I laughed and laughed while Josiah calmly washed Vin’s face with snow. The pouting look on my former sharpshooter’s face was priceless and I wished I’d thought to bring along the digital camera Ezra had given me for Christmas. It wasn’t a habit yet but it would be. 

“Now, young man, are you going to cease hitting your poor aging lover with snowballs?” The burly ex-profiler asked.

“It was just two, ‘Siah.” 

Vin was this close to a whine, I thought with a snicker.

“But they were well packed balls with that uncanny aim of yours.” Josiah replied and I missed Vin’s answer but I most certainly didn’t miss the slow blush that began at our profiler’s ears and spread all the way down into his muffler. “Ahem, I believe it’s time for us to have some of Ezra’s cocoa and then we need to go home.”

Vin’s smile was just this side of angelic and I pretended not to see Josiah’s warm pat to his behind. Taking up the slack on the sled, I got the load of wood headed towards the house. Every Saturday since winter started in earnest, some of the guys would come over and help me cut wood. Whoever helped got half the cut logs so it was a rare weekend when we didn’t have company.

Just thinking of the warm welcome waiting for us made me hurry up a bit. Some of the load lightened when Josiah joined me in pulling the long sled we used to haul the logs. We didn’t say a word, just smiled and headed for the house. I was hoping Ezra was feeling better and needing to see for myself that he was all right. He’d assured me it was just his sinuses but I wasn’t so sure.

Smoke curled up from the chimney and lights twinkled in the kitchen windows. If I squinted just a little, I could see a dark head moving from the sink to the stove and back again. That made me pick up the pace a bit and Josiah chuckled at my side. 

Vin bounded ahead of us, making for the back door with a cheery call over his shoulder. “I get cocoa first.”

“He can be such a child sometimes.” Josiah said with the same indulgent smile on his face that Ezra so often had on his. Our eyes met and we both grinned. “How about we leave stacking this wood for later?”

“You got it, ‘Siah.” I steered it to the woodshed and pulled it just inside the old wooden door with my friend pushing it a little harder to get it over the sill hump. Brushing off my gloves, I followed Josiah down the path to the backdoor and the warm kitchen just beyond.

We both stamped our boots and brushed snow off each other before we opened the door. Ezra purely hated the extra mess of country snows and I was more than willing to stay on his good side, if only for the hot chocolate he made so well. Not to mention the rest of the current story he was spinning for me.

“Gentlemen, your chocolate awaits.” His husky voice greeted us from the stove and I crossed to his side to hug him close. “Unhand the cook, Sir, or you shall get none.”

I kissed his cheek, not liking the warmth I found there. “That blush better be from cooking over a hot stove and not from the sniffles, Ezra P.”

His look was rueful. “I fear I may have underestimated this little bug, Chris. I do indeed have a slight fever. But nothing a little Thera-Flu can’t take care of.”

I kissed his temple and felt the slight sheen of sweat. “Un-uh, Ez’, it’s my turn to take care of you. Hot baths, warm massages, ice cream in a couple of days,” I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he chuckled.

“What was I thinkin’, Chris? Of course, ya’ll have ta pamper me until I shake this loathsome bug.” He gestured to the warming drawer where he kept mugs warm for our cocoa. “Josiah, the overgrown child has your hot chocolate in front of the fire.”

“Thank you kindly, Ezra.” He saluted the cook and sauntered speedily to the living room where Vin was singing un-tunefully along with the Christmas carols on the CD player.

“Half an hour and I’ll run you a hot bath before calling Buck to let him know he’ll have to come over and help Vin with the horses tomorrow.” I laid a finger over protesting lips. “I’m serious, Ezra. It’s my turn to return the great good care you take of me every day. Please?”

The big puppy eyes haven’t failed me yet and Ezra chuckled before sneezing twice into his sleeve. “I think I will let you, Chris. I’m feeling a little achy.”

Which meant he was feeling a little more than achy, I translated and got our mugs from the warming drawer. Now, we’d see just how bad a patient he was and how well I’d learned the art of pampering from him. Slipping an arm around him contentedly, I drew him into the front room and our friends. I was definitely looking forward to a snuggle in front of the fire. 

Maybe I could come up with a story to keep him occupied? We hadn’t done Cinderella yet. Wrapping a quilt around Ezra’s shoulders, I mentally started the old tale spinning in my head. Once upon a time there was a young man named Ezra . . .

***************


	20. The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birch Challenge of 2004 but didn't get written until 2005.

********* Josiah ********* 

I stopped and took a deep breath. It was cold but not freezing and our annual hunt for the perfect tree for the Sisters of Mercy was underway. Vin had already narrowed our search to a three acre area at the farthest northern edge of our property. I stopped and thought about that for a long moment. These trees, the underbrush, wild animals, and all belonged to Vin and I.

Well, they belonged to themselves but we were their current stewards. That was a job both Vin and I took very seriously and we spent hours tramping over the sprawling acres of timber and meadow, looking for problems and clearing brush. I’d never known how much time that would take but I’d grown to love it. Being outdoors brought out the childlike wonder in my lover and I loved watching him play.

He’d had to grow up too fast and guard himself for too long, I thought sadly.

“Josiah, I think I found it.” His excited call came from my right and I headed over there to see what he’d found. Nearing a small clearing, I found him circling a ten foot tall blue spruce that was truly magnificent. Perfectly shaped with thick branches lightly dusted with snow and brown pine cones nestled among them like Nature’s version of ornaments.

“I think you’re right, Vin.” I circled it myself and spotted nothing at all wrong. “I kind of hate to cut it down, it’s so beautiful.”

He got that fey look on his face, the one I only saw once in a while. “It’s already got the wasting sickness and if we let it go, it will spread to the nearby spruce grove.”

I never questioned his pronouncements. He was so in tune with the forest, he was literally never wrong. If this seemingly healthy tree was sick then it was time for it to come down and grace the homeless shelter for a few weeks. I readied the axe and silently asked the tree’s forgiveness for taking its life. The branches moved gently in a sudden breeze as if giving me permission and I smiled.

Once we had the tree down, we carefully loaded it on the long toboggan we’d brought with us. That reminded me of our trip the day before with Chris and Ezra. “Vin, remind me to call and see how Ezra is feeling. Chris might need us to run to the store or something.”

“Will do, big guy,” Vin tugged on the rope handle and with my strength added to it, we got it moving towards home. “Ezra sounded real congested by the time we left.”

“True,” I looked over and feasted my eyes on my shining lover. His blond-brown hair glowed in the morning sunlight. “Where is your hat, Vin?”

He innocently looked around as if it would appear in mid-air. “Gosh, I don’t know, ‘Siah. I had it a minute ago.”

Knowing how much he hated the navy blue knit stocking cap, I harrumphed. “Check your pockets or we’ll have to go back to look for it.”

He pouted a little but then magically found it in his leather coat’s side pocket. Pulling it on, he jammed it on his head. “There, satisfied?”

I held my tongue, knowing what was in one of the packages under the small tree in the spa. I’d gone with Chris to pick out a cowboy hat for Vin. I found an almost chocolate brown one that my former boss approved and it was waiting for my lover to unwrap. I was looking forward to Christmas for the first time in many years.

Back at the house, we carefully strapped the tree to the top of his old jeep before heading inside. A quick call to Chris and I had the definite impression that Ezra was running him ragged. I had to quell a slight feeling of satisfaction at that, remembering how surly he’d been when he was sick. They needed oranges and I promised to stop at the store. Just before I hung up, Chris suddenly added peppermint stick ice cream to the list and I had the impression the request had come from further down the hall.

Hanging up, I looked for my lover and found him in the spa looking at our decorated tree and the presents under it. Sliding my arms around him, I kissed his ear. “Wondering what Santa is bringing you?”

“Nah, I haven’t believed in Santa Claus since Ma died.” He leaned back against me and I held his warmth with sudden need. “Took a while before I believed in much of anything. But some of that joy came back into my life five years ago when I joined the team. I’ve got something new to believe in now. Hey, we better get going. Sister Theresa wanted the tree by 2 pm.”

I let the odd statement go in favor of coming back to it later. That usually worked better with my complex lover. We drove into town and delivered the tree, setting it up for the good Sisters and drinking a cup of cocoa that paled in comparison to Ezra’s gourmet brew. Stopping at the store, I got the oranges and ice cream for Chris and Ezra while Vin collected some last minute items for us. 

We met back at the jeep and drove home. I know I relaxed as soon as we left the city limits and Vin did, too. He wasn’t the only one who preferred the country. Vin took the bag of essentials to the front door and Chris answered it in a robe and nothing else. That’s a good look on him and I chuckled to myself. He and Ezra were a seemingly unlikely couple who fit perfectly together.

Watching Vin walk towards me, his hunter’s gait in evidence, I smiled. They were no more unlikely than Vin and me. And I thanked the gods of the universe everyday for him. Getting in, he slid a hand up my jeans covered thigh and my cock suddenly came to aching life.

“Ol’ Chris is definitely being put through his paces today.” Vin’s chuckle was just this side of a giggle. “He said Ezra didn’t have a voice this morning so he’s writin’ him notes. Chris said he was going to have to look up a couple of words to find out if he’d been insulted or not.”

I chuckled and backed the jeep up so we could head home. “I hope Ezra gives him a run for his money.”

“I ‘spect he will, Josiah.” His hand was warm on my thigh and he slid it a little higher with an innocent air.

My glare was mock and he knew it. “Young man, are you in teasing mode again?”

“No snow involved, ‘Siah,” he said with a solemn air. “And it ain’t teasin’ if I mean ta follow through.”

“True,” I gulped when long slender fingers ghosted over my extremely interested denim-covered cock. “I thought we were going to have our Solstice fire this afternoon.”

“We are,” Vin confirmed. “But I was thinkin’ we might could give the old gods a real nice offering of our seed.”

“How very pagan and yet appropriate, little love.” I captured that knowing hand and brought it to my lips for a kiss. Nibbling on his fingers, I pulled into our garage and hit the button for the door. Laying a kiss right in his palm as a promise for later, I gingerly got out of the old car and headed to the kitchen to put away our groceries. He disappeared but I knew right where to find him. 

It had long been my custom to light a candle in every window of where ever I was staying for the winter Solstice and this year in our first home together, I’d really wanted to continue the tradition. Vin had approved wholeheartedly and rather diffidently asked if I’d mind a bonfire, too. I thought it an excellent idea so he’d been gathering dead-fall all autumn in a small clearing about 100 yards from the house.

It was an odd little grove of stately oaks and I almost always got a shiver when I went there. Vin loved it and often practiced his Tai Chi there. I joined him occasionally but that place always felt like I was a guest rather than a part of it, the way he was. Leaving the kitchen after checking on the progress of our stew, I headed out again to find my missing lover.

The bonfire wasn’t huge but it wasn’t a normal fire size either. He’d been layering in logs, branches, leaves and other burn-ables for a month now and it made a sizable pile. The silence was all encompassing as if the wind stopped at the edges of the grove, not daring to enter this sacred spot. An air of expectation sizzled in the air and the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood straight up. Gesturing for me to stay on that side of the bonfire, Vin flicked a burning match into the heart of the wood pile.

Nothing happened for a long moment then a tiny flame appeared and another and yet another until fire began to race down and up the branches. Pops and crackles filled the still air and from where I was standing, the heat was welcome. A soft keening came from Vin and occasionally I’d be able to decipher a word or two but they made no sense to me. I know five languages fluently and six written languages that are now considered dead but Vin could still surprise me.

I was guessing it was a form of Cherokee. Watching him through the screen of red and yellow flames made me see him differently. Like the forest and wild things around us, he was a free spirit entrusted to my care for a time. I loved him so much, I sometimes felt helpless to show him the strength of my love. I didn’t want to smother him but at times like this, I wanted to hold him tight and never let go.

Perhaps it was the smoke or my thoughts but suddenly it seemed a Dionysian mask took the place of his face. Then it morphed into an elf’s profile and then to something almost too beautiful to be real. I blinked twice and saw only Vin’s pure features. And when had he braided the long white feather into his hair? I wondered for a moment if some of the brush included a certain five-leaved plant that was illegal in every state but California.

A smile slowly dawned from his mouth to his eyes and the heated air rose in waves between us. It was almost like watching him through water and a small thought in the back of my mind nattered on about temperature and humidity and all the scientific explanations that didn’t really matter in this magical place. I kept watching him and listening to the chant that was the only sound save for the crackle of the fire.

When he stopped, I waited, watching him with my heart in my eyes. He was so beautiful and he’d chosen me for a lover. Suddenly his hands rose up before him and I had just a glimpse of some of the brown pine cones from the evergreen we’d just delivered. When had he taken the time to remove some of them? Without a sound, he tossed them lightly onto the blazing fire.

A moment later, they began to pop and sizzle and the flames began to take on odd colors of green and blue and gold. I blinked twice to clear my vision but then Vin was there before me, sliding his arms around me and lifting up onto his toes for a kiss. I bent my head gladly to nuzzle his cold lips and an agile tongue slipped in to find mine. I suckled on his tasty self for a long moment before I realized his clever fingers had slipped under my coat and had almost completely opened my pants.

“Vin, it’s too cold.” I tried to be sensible, really I did.

“Nice and toasty here, ‘Siah.” He licked my chin and I shivered. “I need ya ta take me right here and now. I got all slicked up and stretched for ya while ya were puttin’ away the groceries.” His gloveless hand was stroking my cock and truthfully I wasn’t feeling any cold at all. “I got some place nice and warm for Little Joe here.”

I snorted with sudden laughter. Just lately Vin had been trying out nicknames for our cocks and this was a new one. “Little Joe appreciates all the trouble you’ve gone to for him. We going to do this right here?”

“Right here,” he said with satisfaction, giving my shaft one last caress with something cool and wet. Then pulling away, he spun towards the fire and got down on all fours, his jeans sliding down to bunch around his thighs.

There is nothing more inspiring than that beautiful sight. The years melted away when I went to my knees behind those taut pale cheeks, gloving them with my leather clad hands and seeing the tell tale signs of lubricant around the small pink pucker. He shivered all over and moaned my name when I set my crown to that tiny hole and pushed slowly but surely inside of him.

I hope I never, ever take this privilege for granted. When I could go no farther, I stopped to savor his heat and the tight channel walls that held me tight. “Dearest Vin, thank you for letting me celebrate the Solstice with you. And thank you for the gift of your love.”

“Ah-h-h, Josiah,” his voice was loose with pleasure, “I was just going ta thank ya for that same gift. Ya gave me your love and a home and the chance ta be a kid again. And if everybody knew how good ya feel inside a body, they’d be beatin’ down the doors to steal you away from me.”

“Never, Vin,” I started a gentle pull out before rocking back into him again. “I am bound with love to you and this land. I’ll never leave it or you as long as I live.”

He flung back his head, his long hair glinting in the firelight. “And I’ll never leave ya either. Forever or until the Forest takes me.”

I shivered at that vow but also felt how right it was. “Forever or until the Forest takes me, Vin. I love you.”

“Love ya, too, “Siah.” He pushed back a little to get me deeper. “Now burn me up like our fire is burnin’.”

Chuckling, I set to work to do just that. I had an inkling that this would be just the first in many Solstices to come. Maybe for Summer’s longest day we could reenact this without any clothes?

****************************


	21. Dragon's Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The challenge was to write about a dragon and one of the seven.

********* Josiah ********* 

“Josiah, where did you get this?” Vin asked from the box he was sorting through. 

I turned to find a stream of yellow silk pooled in my lover’s lap. Blinking, I had a series of flashbacks to the other side of the world. For a moment I smelled the exotic spices of a Tibetan marketplace; locked eyes with an old man in a ragged tent; heard a deep voice speak my true name; held a newborn infant with the bloody caul still attached; felt my soul soar high above the mountains.

“Josiah? Josiah?” 

I blinked and found a worried Vin practically in my lap, his hands cupping my face while he repeated my name over and over.

“I’m all right, Vin.” Leaning forward, I kissed him softly and grounded myself with his taste. When we parted to breathe, I smiled tenderly into curious eyes. “I had a flashback to another time.”

“A good time or a bad one?” he asked me, handing me the yellow silk which had started the whole thing.

I smoothed out the cloth so the embroidery showed. A myriad of greens, blues and golds tangled in bright and dark to form a pattern confusing to the eye. It was better seen from a few feet away so I got to my feet and crossed to the fireplace. Using the two crystal candle sticks, I anchored one end to the mantle and let the rest of the banner fall to almost touch the flagstone hearth. 

Just under five feet long, I’d forgotten how big it was. Silk folds up into an incredibly small bundle when the need arises. Backing up, I stopped when the emblem came into focus. Once seen, you could never forget the image.

“Wow, he’s beautiful.” Vin’s arms slid around me and I pulled him in tight to my side.

“In Tibet, each person has,” I paused searching for the right word. “I guess the nearest equivalent would be a totem animal. But their mythology allows for more than just the animals you can see and touch.”

“And yours is a dragon,” he said it with an assurance that could still surprise me. “I knew that already, ‘Siah. You always protected the team when we were in danger.”

I chuckled sadly and dropped another kiss on his head. “The oddest thing is that I walked away from the responsibility and denied my dragon for too long a time. It hurt to care for others and to protect someone means you must care passionately about them.”

He nodded and rubbed his cheek against my linen covered nipple. “But you can’t deny your true nature forever. He’s always inside of you, trying to get out.”

Resting my cheek upon his soft hair, I sighed. A small draft of air rippled the silk banner and the dragon seemed to breathe. “He clawed his way out when I was forced to take on a border patrol intent on decimating a village where I was resting before a trip into the mountains.”

Screaming and gunfire sometimes echoed in bloodstained dreams. The patrol had the superior firepower but my soul-deep need to save the children of the village had triumphed over guns and ammo. No one should ever have to bury their daughters or sons. I grieved so much promise lost to greed and arrogance. 

“Lake Dragon is my true name, the shaman said.” I could still hear the syllables spilling like liquid fire from his mouth. “On my vision quest, I soared above the mountains and valleys of Tibet. I flew over herds of wild yak, danced with the black-necked cranes, bathed in the icy waters of Lake Cuo’e then flew to rest at the top of the world on Mount Qomolangma – the Queen of Mountains.”

Vin shivered and I held him closer, using my hands to warm his back. “I can almost see him, Josiah.”

“The daughter of the village headman finished the banner three months after I’d left for so-called civilization. How it ever reached me, I have no idea. I was still roaming the world, fighting where ever I was needed.” My eyes traced the long sinuous lines of the dragon, the golden claws unsheathed and glinting in the late afternoon sunlight.

“It’s an Imperial dragon, ‘Siah.” Vin had noticed the number of claws.

I blushed and cleared my throat. “The shaman said I was the reincarnation of the first Dragon King and that’s why he’s got five claws and blue fish scales among the green scales of the forests.”

Mischievous blue eyes met mine. “A king, huh? I noticed the great big regal part you got born with.” He moved his hip over my groin and I came to life the way I always did when he so much as touched me. “Guess I wasn’t just funnin’ when I called him the Emperor.”

Laughing, I swept him up in my arms and kissed him soundly. Out of the corner of my eye, the banner moved and I swear the image breathed out a blessing for us. I’d have to see about getting a rod to hang it up. It was one reminder of my past I wouldn’t mind having out for the world to see. Freeing my dragon had led me through the back alleys of the world and eventually to Denver and the man who held my heart. I would be forever grateful I survived the journey to the team that came to be my family.

The dragon’s clan was growing nicely, I thought to myself while stripping Vin’s clothes from his beautiful body. My students at the university were curious souls who asked hard questions and kept me on my toes. I found myself naked, too and followed my lover down to our warm sheets.

Dragon’s mate, I started licking a path down his tempting body. I was going to be insatiable today. After all, I had a mythology to live up to now. Listening to Vin’s heartfelt groan, I smiled around my mouthful and prepared to breathe a little fire for his pleasure. And for mine.

***************************


	22. Flexibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cowboy Dreams archive - Rowan '06 challenge was on flexibility.

********* Josiah ********* 

I've broken a bone or two before now. Casts are never fun but you learn to adapt. That said, this one seemed to have been on for a year instead of just eight weeks. Thank all the deities it was my left hand. Poor Vin's arm was bruised from my nightly assaults. My sleeping self was intent on bringing him in close but unfortunately he likes sleeping on the left side of the bed.

I'd taken to wearing a protective foam sleeve we'd cobbled together out of an old cushion but he still got awoken at least once a night. And it wasn't for a really good reason like a horny lover. All my energy seemed to have drained right out of me. Everything took twice as long to accomplish and I just couldn't seem to get enough sleep. Winter brings out my sleepy side but that was even truer this February.

Vin took it all in stride, spending at least half-an-hour every night tenderly massaging the four fingers that were all you could see of my hand. I'd protested at first but he just shushed me and kept doing it. Some nights it put me right to sleep. I was the luckiest man in Colorado if not the entire U.S.

But today the third, hopefully final, cast was coming off and I would get my mobility back. Vin drove me to the doctor's office for what I was praying was the last time. Twenty minutes later the cast was off. I could finally move all five fingers. My thumb, however, felt frozen and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to move more than a centimeter.

The doctor released me before sending me to the physical therapist with his next breath. Vin just grinned when I muttered softly. The clinic was right next door so we walked over while I kept trying to flex the weak muscles. Vin strode at my side trying not to be too obvious about his protective stance. Luckily, the sidewalk was ice free and the snow cover was more like a coverlet.

We'd already had a February thaw but if I was a betting man, I'd be betting on at least one more good blizzard. My aging bones were getting good at predicting the weather. The clinic was full of patients and perky technicians. Great Goddess, the oldest therapist had to be 30 or younger. I got assigned a svelte blonde named Gina. She perked right up when she saw Vin but he only had eyes for me.

I really am insufferably smug about that.

She handled it well and was soon concentrating on getting me to relax. The hot steam packs she layered above and below my left forearm and hand were pure luxury. The little wrinkle between my eyes disappeared the moment my whole arm relaxed. The rest of me wasn't far behind. I closed my eyes, just enjoying the moment. Vin was prowling through the big open space filled with equipment. He has all the curiosity of a cat.

My eyes slitted to follow his progress. If my totem animal is a dragon, his is one of the wild cats. Maybe the tiger, I mused, not for the first time. No, more like the ocelot, lean and fast. My lips curved upwards . . . and flexible, can't forget that trait.

The timer went off and Gina removed the hot packs, setting them aside and taking my arm in both hands. "Okay, Mr. Sanchez, I'd like you to flex your wrist up as far as you can go without pain."

"Okay," I did as she asked and frowned in dismay at the dismal attempt. "That's not very good."

"Actually, it's not bad." Her smile was professional. "Now move it down slowly and curl towards your forearm."

I winced when I moved it too far. She shook her head and held my hand still. "Remember it's been frozen in one position for two months. You've got to gradually retrain it. Now try side to side."

That hurt too and I was beginning to feel a little depressed. But she was moving it into a different position and asking me to hold it while she measured the angles of my wrist. Strong hands rested lightly on my shoulders and I realized Vin had rejoined us. His thumbs drew circles into the muscles of my neck and I felt myself relax.

More measurements and a few repetitions of painful exercises later, I was released with a set of three movements to practice twenty reps at a time, four times a day. I thanked her sincerely and went up front to schedule my next few appointments. Vin left while I was at the front desk and he was waiting with his new green Jeep at the curb when I came out.

The heater worked in this one and I fumbled the seat belt into place, still not able to use my left hand for much. His chuckle told me he'd seen my pout. I stuck out my tongue at him.

"Real mature, 'Siah." Pulling out of the parking lot, he steered us towards home. "How does it feel?"

"It aches. And the dead skin is gross." I was picking at the yellow dead patches of skin, wishing I had a stiff brush.

"Ah, ah, no picking at it, Josiah. Remember what the nurse said? I'll use the loofah on it when we get to the hot tub." He shot me an admonishing look.

"I know, but it itches." I was coming perilously close to whining.

"I promise to rub lotion into it after we soak for a while." Vin's hand slid across the seat and took my hand in his. "Feels a lot better without the cast."

I tried to grip his fingers but only managed a half-curl around them. "I hated the damn thing. I can't wait to get in some hot water without a plastic bag."

"Oh yeah, big guy, I've been lookin' forward to that my own self." His gaze was heated and for the first time in a couple of weeks, I felt my groin stir.

"Me, too." I sighed happily before going back to flexing my fingers. "Damn, I think they're swelling."

He took another look and nodded. "Once the cast came off, the blood finally got a chance to flow all the way to the tips of your fingers. It's why I kept massaging them, 'Siah. It would'of been way worse today if I hadn't."

I let my eyes rest on my beautiful lover. "You take good care of me, Vin. I'm blessed with your giving spirit."

The faint blush reminded me he was still rather new to being open to his feelings. But he was getting better at accepting my devotion in both words and deeds. I was indeed blessed.

Once home, we headed for the sun room and our hot tub. With a flick of the switch, the water began to roil and bubble. Vin undressed me carefully, lavishing caresses on every bit of revealed skin. I fumbled with his clothes, my left hand now sore and aching.

But he soothed my frustration with a gentle kiss and a tender push towards the tub. He watched with an eagle eye until I was sitting down; then with what I can only call a wicked glance, he started a slow striptease that had my cock sitting up and taking notice. He's graceful anyway but today he reminded me of the dusky beauties I'd seen in India, lithe and tantalizing.

Keeping my arms under water, I stroked my shaft to see if he was feeling any friskier. And he rewarded me with a steady surge to iron hardness. 'Yes!' I watched his blue flannel shirt slide down his arms to flutter to the floor; then his white muscle shirt slowly rose to reveal his muscular chest and pert nipples; when it dropped to the tiles, his long fingers tugged open the first button on his fly.

I found myself breathing faster, my eyes riveted to his teasing digits. He'd already kicked off his boots so when his faded jeans started the long, slow slide down his legs, there was nothing to stop them from pooling on the floor where he gracefully stepped out of them. One of his white athletic socks was loosing its elastic so it was crumpled lower than the other. It should have looked comical but all I could do was lick suddenly dry lips while my eyes feasted on the slender tanned ankle it revealed. My fingers itched to stroke him right there on the tender hot spot I'd found a couple of months back.

But more white cotton suddenly obscured it and I realized he'd pushed off his underwear. I moaned just a bit under my breath and feasted my eyes on his beautifully sculpted body.

"You should never wear clothes." I declared truthfully and listened to his laughter while he prowled over to the hot tub. "No, really, you should just stay naked."

"I'm thinkin' I'd be a mite cold unless we moved to Mexico or some place a lot warmer." His voice was light and teasing when he slid in on the other side of the square tub. He ducked underwater and came up with his hair slicked back. Then he was in my lap, his long arms winding around my neck while his lips zeroed in on mine. His kisses are ambrosia and even tastier after his choco-mocha latte of an hour ago.

"Hm-m-m, you taste good. Think maybe we should invest in one of those fancy-schmancy latte makers?" He asked me in between kisses.

"For your birthday maybe," I answered, knowing I already had it wrapped and waiting at Chris and Ezra's. He'd have found it here no matter how well I hid it.

He hummed again while my hands ran over the silky skin of his back. It felt good to finally be able to feel him with my left hand. Even better was the weight of his cock in my bad hand. I couldn't really grasp it properly with the weak digits and the rough feel of dead skin must have finally penetrated his sexual haze because he shivered all the way down to his toes before pulling away a little.

"Damn, Josiah, that feels kinky." The urchin grin was one I hadn't seen in a while. "Think maybe you've soaked long enough to get a little of that dead skin off?"

"Yeah, I think so. Where's the loofah?" I looked around for the sea sponge we usually kept in the basket by the tub. It also kept a few of our toys ready for play time. 

"Got it, 'Siah." Vin reached a long arm over my shoulder and pulled it back. 

I raised my scaly arm out of the water and grimaced. It really did look gross with the thick patches of dead yellow skin. Vin gently began a back and forth motion on the top of my hand. Sighing happily, I settled a little deeper into the water and let him pamper me. He liked doing that and I loved having all his attention on me. 

A focused Vin is a pure delight.

"Ya think the filter can handle the debris?" He delicately pulled on a loose flap of skin and smiled when it came off in a long strip. To be on the safe side, he dropped it in the basket.

"We'll clean it out tomorrow." I nodded and watched in fascination while the new pink flesh underneath was revealed.

"I'll need to rub in lotion to help protect the new skin." He looked up and waggled his eyebrows. "I 'xpect I'll have to massage your whole body to make sure I get it all."

"Well, darn, I hate to be such a bother, Vin." My right hand went back to stroking his thigh, very close to his hardening cock.

"No bother, 'Siah." His look heated the space between us. "You just relax now."

I simmered in silence while he made sure all the dead skin was gone . . . or at least the pieces which would come up easily. The nurse had warned us not to remove any that didn't flake off at once. Better safe than sorry, was her admonition.

The hot water soothed me all over including my wilting cock. I felt boneless and only Vin's solid weight on my thighs kept me upright in the bubbling water. Blinking, I tried to stay awake a little longer.

"Bed, Josiah," Vin's voice came to me through a fog. "Sleeping in the tub ain't on our to-do-list today." 

His weight was suddenly gone and I opened my mouth to protest but his lips drank it from me. Maybe he was right, I thought sleepily. I had enough energy to climb out of the tub with his help. He dried me off carefully while I did my best to get him dry also. But my left hand was almost as clumsy as it had been with the cast on and my cock had started its nap early.

He just smiled at me before leading me back to our bedroom. Turning back the covers, he made sure I was comfortable then made his way around the room lighting the candles we kept on the dresser and headboard. The soft light softened all the edges and turned his hair golden.

This beautiful man loved me. That realization still made me catch my breath. Thank God we no longer risked our lives for the government. I never, ever want to worry about his safety.

"Sleep a bit, 'Siah." He squirted some lotion into his hands, warming it between his palms. With a smile, he began to soothe it over my new skin. Keeping his touch light, he soon had me purring.

When I woke up, I was definitely going to have him put that lotion to even better use. I yawned. Right after my nap . . . 

**********************


End file.
